


Episode 3-14 - "Values Judgement"

by ComradeTortoise, stgjr, Turandokht, Voyager989



Series: Undiscovered Frontier Season 3 - "The Coming Storm" [14]
Category: Babylon 5, Original Work
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Multiple Crossovers, Multiverse, Space Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-04 10:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 44,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16344860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComradeTortoise/pseuds/ComradeTortoise, https://archiveofourown.org/users/stgjr/pseuds/stgjr, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turandokht/pseuds/Turandokht, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voyager989/pseuds/Voyager989
Summary: Following a terrorist attack by Lyta Alexander's Telepath Underground, the Aurora heads to Babylon-5 to commence delicate negotiations with the Earth Alliance.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Co-written with Turandokht, Voyager989, and ComradeTortoise.

**Teaser**  
  
_Ship's Log: 22 September 2643 AST; ASV Aurora. Captain Julia Andreys recording. The_ Aurora _has returned to Fleet Base Skret Tel after four weeks exploring the Tanatis Frontier Sector in Universe A7R6. We are currently transferring samples taken during the expedition for further testing in Alakin and Falaen facilities.  
  
During the expedition the _ Aurora _made first contact with two species capable of system-wide interplanetary flight and observed a third conducting orbital space missions. We also made preliminary studies of four potentially habitable planets for possible colonization and discovered rich sources of Cameronite and naqia on a lunar body.  
  
While this work usually lacks the sort of excitement we've been experiencing since I took command of the _ Aurora _, it was a pleasure to be able to conduct a peaceful exploration mission for a change. No desperate battles, no threats to the Multiverse, just a reach of unexplored space.  
  
On another note, a special package was waiting for our ship's resident Paladin operative when we arrived._  
  
  
Set beside the _Aurora_ bridge itself, the "ready room" or "ready office" was Julia's preferred spot to do the office work of her position when she was not on watch on the bridge. Like all Captains she'd furnished hers with some personal touches, with photos of family on one of the stands inside of which she kept some of her secured digital readers for classified information. Additionally she kept a backup uniform hanging near the walk-in bathroom for use in emergencies. Along the wall beside the door to the bridge was a couch, a hold over from Robert's time as captain that she'd slept on a couple of times over the years.  
  
Currently she was at her desk reading monthly performance reviews with Meridina and Jarod. "It looks like the Gamma shift crew is exceeding standards," Julia noted. "At this rate, we're going to lose Lieutenant Takawira to a new command. Is he up for promotion?"  
  
"I have already written the recommendation to the board," Meridina informed her.  
  
"Good." Julia looked over another section and frowned. "Science section's looking a little less polished than usual. Cat's always been a little too lenient with her subordinates, but I've never seen productivity go down before." She sighed. "This isn't just over Violeta's transfer, is it?"  
  
"Some, I think," Meridina answered. "But I think she has other concerns on her mind."  
  
"It doesn't help that she was doing a lot of extra work during the surveying," Jarod added. "Those metrics don't account for that, and won't until we finalize the exploration reports. Don't be surprised if it goes up."  
  
Julia nodded. "I suppose I'm not used to dealing with the aftermath of peaceful survey missions that _stay_ peaceful."  
  
"Well, we've only had what, two survey missions since you became Captain?" Jarod pointed out, grinning. "Come to think of it, I don't think we've had a peaceful survey mission that stayed peaceful since before the war started."  
  
"And now the war's over," Julia said. "So let's enjoy it before there's another one, huh?"  
  
"That is quite pessimistic of you, Julia," Meridina noted, using personal names given the privacy of the meeting.  
  
"Well, the reports don't lie," Julia replied. "Increased Jem'Hadar activity on the Cardassian border. They've finished wiping out the Maquis. They attacked a Federation ship at the edge of the old DMZ three days ago. And Dukat gave another speech about reclaiming 'all of Cardassia's lost territory'."  
  
"Meaning Bajor," Jarod observed.  
  
"Yeah," Julia said. "We may have a war breaking out in the Alpha Quadrant soon if this keeps getting worse. And that's not the only problem. More ship disappearances in the Attican Traverse of M4P2. Von Platen's _freikorps_ hit a relief convoy headed to one of the Anti-Spinward colonies in the old Reich territories. And there's the attack on Mars in E5B1 from ten days ago." She let out a sigh. "And there's always the Cylons to worry about. The war with the Reich might be over, but I have a feeling things are still really dangerous out there."  
  
The other two didn't need telepathy or super-smarts to know what was really bothering her. "Robert's new ship is in, correct?" asked Meridina.  
  
"It's down in the secondary cargo bay," Julia confirmed. "Fresh from the factory, I'm told. Based on the same armed courier that Lennier and Druni own."  
  
"The _Keyeri_ is quite an impressive craft in of itself," Meridina recalled. "But it still worries you."  
  
"Worries me? That Robert's doing this secret agent stuff once and awhile? That he's going to be heading into incredibly dangerous situations as a regular job?" Julia lowered her eyes for a moment to push away the upset feeling she had. "And that he won't have us as backup because he'll be traveling into hostile systems on a ship little bigger than a standard runabout?"  
  
"It's a bit bigger than that, I think," Jarod said. "It's almost forty meters long. Even with the spare space we've got in the secondary bay, they had to move two shuttles out to give it sufficient space of its own. And given the specs, it's perfect for the job." Jarod noticed her growing frown and promptly added, "But that's not what you want to hear. You'd rather he stay."  
  
"I know he can't," Julia admitted. "But I wish, well… I wish he could. After we came so close to losing him last year…"  
  
Meridina gave her a sympathetic look. "I understand your fears. But it is his choice. Robert feels he has much to still offer the Alliance, even if he no longer commands a ship."  
  
"Besides, you know how he is. I think Morgan named the entire group with him in mind," Jarod said, smiling. "And now that he's got his noble steed…"  
  
Julia let out a laugh. "So Tom told you about that too, huh?"  
  
"I've already set up the shuttle bay systems to record the reaction. Zack promised Beth she could see it. Given how much worry he causes her, she deserves it."  
  
A blue light appeared on the back of Julia's left hand. It was being generated by her omnitool frame, indicating she had an incoming communication. She tapped the light to accept the comm. "Andreys here," she said.  
  
" _Captain, we are receiving a transmission over the IU network_." The voice was that of Lieutenant Tra'dur, the ship's lone Dilgar officer. The operations officer, with a subspecialty in science, spoke English with an accent that sounded close to Indian. " _Admiral Maran wishes to speak to you and Captain Dale_."  
  
"Alright. Let him know we'll see him shortly." Julia tapped at her omnitool control, the blue hardlight display currently over her left forearm. "Andreys to Dale."  
  
After a moment a reply came. " _Dale here_."  
  
"We have an incoming message from Admiral Maran," answered Julia. She grinned, betraying her amusement to the others while her voice remained mostly business. "I'm afraid you'll need to stop admiring your noble steed, Admiral Maran is on comms for both of us."  
  
" _You knew?_ " he asked, his tone almost accusatory.  
  
Jarod chuckled lowly, too low for Robert to hear.  
  
"I'm the Captain," Julia replied. "Of course I knew. Now get your butt going, Sir Robert. Thy noble lord is awaiting thee to give thee a quest, O Paladin." The grin on her face grew.  
  
There was laughter on the other end. All present recognized Tom's laughter, and Meridina was certain the other voice was Lucy's. " _On my way_ ," came Robert's droll response.  
  
  
  
  
The bridge deck of the _Starship Aurora_ was the usual nerve center of the ship, by design of the ship's Starfleet-trained builders, Carlton Farmer and Montgomery Scott. Whatever layout the Darglan had intended, the two engineers from Universe S5T3 filled in the hull of the _Aurora_ with a layout they deemed the most efficient, with the bridge being at the top of the primary hull. The bridge was not by itself the only element of the deck, as there were facilities for the officers, particularly the Captain's ready room and the conference lounge. While the ship had much larger conference rooms in the facility and living decks of the primary hull, the conference lounge allowed the command crew to hold meetings while remaining close at hand to the bridge. In a pinch it also permitted further use, such as using it for emergency sleeping quarters during prolonged crises (as happened during the battle for Germania).  
  
Julia arrived long before Robert. Since it was only the two of them, she took Meridina's usual seat to the right of the head of the table, which was - fittingly - Julia's usual seat. Once Robert arrived he sat across from her in Jarod's place. Julia tapped a key to direct the channel into the conference lounge.  
  
Together they faced the viewscreen built into the wall and faced Admiral Maran. Maran was well into middle age for a Gersallian and by appearance looked the same to a Human, given his species' external resemblance to their own. That leading the military of the Alliance in two years of bloody, sometimes desperate interstellar war hadn't turned more of his dark hair gray could be chalked up to Gersallian physiology more than anything.  
  
" _Captain, I have reviewed some of your reports from the Tanatis Frontier. You've done well. High Minister Brepk and Regent Nalena have been quite fulsome in their thanks for your part in the expedition. We have high hopes for our future relations with the Trenap and the Dynielil. Both show promise as prospective Alliance partners, perhaps even members._ "  
  
"Commander Delgado is really eager to visit Agynnielil," Julia said, grinning in appreciation of Maran's praise for their efforts. "The Dynielil we met during the first contact have indicated their species isn't native to the planet and are likely transplants. Given the timing alluded to in their written histories, it may indicate the Darglan transplanted them to Agynnielil."  
  
" _Perhaps we should introduce them to the Miqo'te_ ," Maran noted. " _Captain Dale, I trust you've been keeping busy?_ "  
  
"Yes sir," Robert answered promptly. "While assisting the _Aurora_ crew with their scientific and diplomatic endeavors isn't the kind of duty most people expect from Paladins, I actually enjoyed the chance for a peaceful exploration cruise."  
  
_It's also the kind of duty I wish you were doing_ , Julia thought to herself.  
  
" _I'm glad to hear it. But I'm afraid that cruise is now over._ " Maran's expression, while always stoic, shifted to show the weight of the situation. " _Are you aware of the attack on Mars in E5B1 ten days ago?_ "  
  
"I noticed a report on something to the effect," Robert said, beating Julia to the punch. "Terrorism was suspected."  
  
" _And confirmed. Unfortunately, the culprits may be laid on our doorstep, given the evidence._ "  
  
"What do you mean, Admiral?" asked Julia. A sudden bad feeling came to her. There was only one way that might be true...  
  
" _Investigations have confirmed that the primary target was a Psi Corps facility on Mars_ ," Maran said. " _And the attack the responsibility of the Telepath Underground._ "  
  
Robert and Julia exchanged concerned looks. "Lyta Alexander," Robert sighed.  
  
" _Yes. And you can imagine how EarthGov is spinning this._ "  
  
"The Free Colony," Julia said, referring to Lyta's "Byron Free Colony", the planned homeworld of free telepaths that had escaped Psi Corps and the Earth Alliance, named in honor of a fallen leader of non-Corps telepaths. It had been Lyta's price to help Robert and Meridina with their hunt for potentially-dangerous Darglan technology. Since she'd led them to a former Darglan scientific complex on one of the dead race's old colony worlds, the Alliance couldn't say they got nothing for the exchange. But it was one of those deals Julia always wandered about, in terms of how it might come back to haunt them. Aloud she asked, "They're using its existence to accuse us of being involved, or allowing it to happen?"  
  
" _That is a common view in Earthspace, yes. And it has led to violent incidents against Alliance citizens. The Foreign Office is already advising against travel to the Earth Alliance until the situation is resolved. And that's where you come in. Because of the tense situation, President Luchenko has agreed to cabinet-level talks between the Allied Systems and the Earth Alliance. They're to be held on_ Babylon-5 _. And you will be bringing Secretary Onaran and his team to the station._ "  
  
"Understood, Admiral," Julia said, nodding. Another visit to B5, nearly two years after their first? She was up for that. And diplomacy trumped shooting. "Let me know where the rendezvous is and I'll get the ship underway."  
  
" _They'll be traveling aboard the_ Shenzhou. _You'll be meeting them at the Darglan Homeworld._ "  
  
Robert blinked. "Isn't that in the opposite direction from B5? Or is the Secretary not on Earth?"  
  
" _He departed this morning, actually, but the stop at She'teyal is important. The_ Aurora _and the_ Shenzhou _will rendezvous with the_ Huáscar _there. Captain Zhen'var and members of her staff will be personally briefing you and Secretary Onaran's team on what happened at Mars._ "  
  
To that Julia asked, "I thought the _Huáscar_ was still on her working up cruise?"  
  
" _True, but they were at Mars for the post-attack cleanup and investigation and they have critical information on the attack that may be relevant to the talks_." Maran leaned in slightly. " _After you've picked up Secretary Onaran and his team, head to B5 to begin the negotiations._ " He put his hands together on the desk before him. " _I shouldn't have to say how critical this situation could be. The Drazi and Brakiri are not entirely reconciled to the Rohric Peace Treaty yet, so Earth has potential allies in the event of hostilities. We have enough trouble without dealing with Earth becoming aggressive on this matter or that of their attempts to lay claim to former Darglan space. But more importantly, we're hoping to convince Earth to see this terrorism problem as an opportunity. Their laws against their own telepaths are to blame for this situation. If the negotiation team can persuade them to relax those restrictions as part of a general agreement, we can defuse this situation before it grows any more dangerous._ "  
  
"If there's no Psi Corps to chase rogues, then the rogues won't feel a need to lash out?" Robert suggested.  
  
Maran nodded once. " _That is one way of putting it. And that brings me to the other issue at hand…_ " The way his eyes moved indicated he was looking to Julia. " _Captain, I must now discuss Paladin business with Captain Dale. Given you will soon be in personal contact with representatives of EarthGov, including a member of Psi Corps, I'm afraid I must insist on secrecy._ "  
  
Robert glanced apologetically to Julia, but she nodded once and stood. A part of her rankled that she wasn't being told, but it wasn't hard to figure out why, if Psi Corps would be at the talks. "I understand, Admiral," she said. "I'll order our departure from Skret Tel right now. Permission to be dismissed?"  
  
" _Granted_."  
  
Julia nodded to him and to Robert before heading to the bridge. Tra'dur was at Ops now and Meridina in the command chair. Lieutenant Talara, a Falaen woman who'd joined the crew as the Gamma Shift helmswoman at the beginning of the year, was at that station. "Lieutenant Tra'dur, set the jump drive for the She'teyal anchor."  
  
"I am doing so now," Tra'dur answered, tapping away at the keys. "We are off of the spatial aspect by several light years."  
  
"I figured," replied Julia. "We'll proceed at warp until we're in the proper spatial aspect range. Recall all personnel from Skret Tel."  
  
"I am doing so now," said Meridina, tapping away at the console beside her seat. "We have fifty-nine crew aboard the Fleet Base currently. Unless you wish to employ transporter recovery, I estimate ten minutes before they are aboard."  
  
"Ten minutes is satisfactory. It should give time for Operations to confirm all critical replacement stores have been brought aboard." Julia gave an expectant look at Tra'dur.  
  
"Right away, Captain," the young Dilgar replied.  
  
As she went to work, Meridina asked, "Where is Robert?"  
  
"Getting his own mission," Julia said. "While we're heading back to _Babylon-5_."  
  
  
  
**Undiscovered Frontier**  
**_"Values Judgement_ "**  
  
  
  
An emerald vortex split space open, forming a bridge between universes. From it the _Aurora_ emerged, cutting her impulsor drive power down and beginning to decelerate as she emerged. Below her the planet She'teyal continued her quiet orbit, the graveyard for one of the few civilizations to achieve the miracle of interuniversal travel.  
  
_Aurora_ found herself in the company of two vessels. The _Huáscar_ was a little larger than her, like all of the _Aurora_ 's _Enterprise-_ and _Excalibur_ -class siblings. A patrol of Mongoose starfighters from the vessel continued a circuit around them. Between and behind the two was their smaller cousin, the _Shenzhou_. The _Discovery_ -class ships were designed to be the smaller counterparts of the _Aurora_ , with similar hull lines scaled down to their smaller size, and only two warp nacelles instead of the four sported by _Aurora_ and _Huáscar_.  
  
The moment they took formation, Secretary Onaran signaled, requesting a meeting on the _Huáscar_ with Julia, Meridina, and Jarod in attendance from the _Aurora_. This is why, barely twenty minutes after their ship's arrival, the three found themselves materializing in a burst of light in a transporter room of the _Huáscar_. A Dilgar crewmember was operating the transporter station and their escort was awaiting them.  
  
Will Atreiad was there to greet them. He came to attention. “Captain Andreys, Commanders. Welcome aboard the ASV _Huáscar._ Captain Zhen’var is waiting in the No.2 Conference Suite.”  
  
"It's good to see you, Commander," Julia said, taking the lead in stepping off of the transporter pad. "I've heard the maiden cruise hasn't gone as planned."  
  
“We had to respond to the situation at Mars,” Will responded. “We called about six alerts in four days, all of them multi-hour.”  
  
Julia winced at that. "And with a crew still getting settled."  
  
The description won a sympathetic look from Meridina as well. "A difficult challenge, certainly." She considered the scope of what Will was saying. Putting an entire crew on alert for long term periods always strained the crew's energies and often their morale. Having to repeatedly go on such alerts? That could sometimes be worse than simply remaining on alert. "Quite a trial for your new crew. But I sense you have come out of it well enough?"  
  
“No choice in the situation,” Will answered as they walked and then took the lift. “Yes, it was a good bonding experience,” he chuckled. “I’m getting to know the secondary command bridge intimately.”  
  
"You personally man the secondary bridge during combat alerts?" asked Jarod.  
  
“Yes. Zhen’var expects a seamless operational transition. If the _Heermann_ is aboard and I’m on the bridge when the alert is called she occasionally has Commander Imra take the position instead, though.” They arrived at the conference suite and the doors breezed open. Captain Zhen’var, Commander Imra and Surgeon-Commander Nah’dur were waiting.  
  
“Captain Andreys, welcome,” Zhen’var offered. “We have some light refreshment for the briefing,” she added, gesturing to satay and some garlic bread on the table with water, coffee and tea. “Thank you for bringing them down, Will.”  
  
The three took from the offered refreshments. By the time they were finished, Secretary Onaran arrived. "I was seeing to my staff's transfer to the _Aurora_ ," he said. "My apologies for the delay. We have much to discuss."  
  
"Our people already have quarters ready," Julia assured him. "Lieutenant Tra'dur is seeing to the arrangements."  
  
"So she is." Onaran nodded next to Zhen'var. "Captain, my thanks and the thanks of President Morgan to you for your handling of the Mars situation. It was a difficult situation and you did well in resolving it despite those difficulties."  
  
“The situation was resolved by little more than patience, as well as some excellent effort by Commander Imra at diplomacy,” Zhen’var nodded to the woman at her side, as inscrutable as ever.  
  
“The Captain is being excessively kind. I merely offered security to Psi Corps until the repatriation could be arranged. Once the children from the facility were safely aboard the _Huáscar_ the rest was a matter of patience only, and with the telepaths removed from Mars, the situation there immediately calmed.”  
  
"Patience and security often go hand in hand with diplomacy," Onaran observed. "And that you left Martian space when ordered has not gone unnoticed. We believe certain factions of the Martian government, whatever their criticisms involving the telepath situation, were impressed by your respect for their space and are willing to re-open talks for closer ties to the Allied Systems. Although that is a matter for another time."  
  
Julia listened without saying anything. Given the reports she'd read, the _Huáscar_ crew had done as well as anyone could given the explosive situation. Although the fate of the recovered children puzzled her. She couldn't imagine that the Free Colony wouldn't have taken them in. Returning them to Psi Corps, given its reputation, puzzled her.  
  
"To elaborate on my presence, as you might have guessed, Captain Zhen'var, the Earth Alliance is accusing us of responsibility in the Mars attack, although they have stopped short of declaring complicity. While President Luchenko herself has refrained from comment, ISN's news reports have been quite unkind and there have been violent acts against our citizens in Earthspace. We are now commencing direct negotiations with the Earth Alliance on _Babylon-5_ to deal with this situation before it worsens. Before I go to meet with my opposite from EarthGov, I wish to ask questions about the report you filed. To begin with, may I ask to have Commander Saumarez attend?"  
  
“Secretary, Commander Saumarez has the watch,” Zhen’var answered. “Is it a requirement that she be here? I was intending to have Commander Atreiad deliver the brief.”  
  
"I intend no disrespect for Commander Atreiad. I have read her report on the Mars situation, particularly the ramifications of the Martian government's actions, and I would very much like to discuss this matter with her attending. I may have made a presumption that she would be attending, and I apologize for not making my needs clear upon arrival."  
  
The officers from the _Huáscar_ exchanged a glance. Zhen’var tapped her omnitool. “Commander Poniatowska, please report to the bridge and assume the watch from Commander Saumarez.”  
  
“Understood, Captain,” the Polish woman answered.  
  
Julia and Meridina exchanged looks. _What can Saumarez provide in the briefs that…_ She stopped herself before finishing, remembering that Elia Saumarez was a telepath herself. Suddenly Onaran's interest became obvious.  
  
“Commander Saumarez, Commander Poniatowska will be relieving you momentarily, please report to Conference Suite 2 as soon as she does,” Zhen’var continued on a second line. The faint French accent of British upper crust speech that answered sounded to a certain extent like a female version of Jean-Luc Picard’s. “Of course, Captain.”  
  
“It will be a few minutes, of course, Secretary. Please forgive me. Is there anything you would like to get started on first?” Zhen’var asked.  
  
"You may as well have Commander Atreiad begin the brief, Captain," said Onaran. "Questions can come afterward."  
  
Will got up and activated the holoprojector. Or tried to. It flashed briefly and then turned off. He frowned, and rebooted it, and then the image came up on the screen. “Starting with the important information we’ve learned…” The briefing passed quickly. “In summary, we think the relationship between Mars and Psi-Corps is permanently lost and the development that Psi-Corps has a sizable force of warships, in the context of an aggressive terrorist campaign against them, suggests the Earth Alliance is critically destabilized. Furthermore, we have strong circumstantial evidence that elements of the Earth Alliance government may be preparing to purge Psi-Corps.”  
  
Julia, Meridina, and Jarod took in the news with some surprise. They'd learned about the Mars situation from the reports, and the _Aurora_ had itself encountered a Psi Corps-crewed warship 11 months prior at F41-001-V, but the idea that EarthGov itself might be preparing to turn on the Corps?  
  
Will sat back down, and Elia breezed in, coming to attention. “Secretary, Captains. Commander Elia Saumarez, reporting as ordered.”  
  
"Commander, thank you for coming. We have much to discuss." Onaran smiled and nodded at her before returning his attention to Will. "Commander, thank you for the brief. It is quite enlightening. And it concurs with certain other pieces of information that we have been discovering for some time. Now, I suspect Captain Andreys and her officers may have a question?"  
  
Onaran had read them well. Julia nodded. "This idea of a purge of Psi Corps, what are we talking about? Arrests? Dissolving the Corps? Revoking the anti-telepath laws? I mean, that's what we'd like to happen, I'd think. If telepaths in the Earth Alliance get their civil rights restored, Psi Corps wouldn't have a purpose anymore, and any crimes they've committed can be brought to trial. And it would certainly take the wind out of Lyta Alexander's sails."  
  
Immediately she had the idea that she might have said something wrong. Nobody on the _Huáscar_ crew said anything, but it was in their looks, making Julia feel like she was back in High School and had just said something really dumb as the answer to a question.  
  
"That is a good question, Captain," Onaran said. "As for your point about telepath rights, it is true that this problem would be settled quite handily if the Earth Alliance repealed the Crawford-Tokash Acts. But recent events and new information indicate that the situation with the Psi Corps may be a more… complex matter than previously assumed." Onaran turned his attention to Elia. "Which is why I have asked for you, Commander Saumarez. Now, I have read your report on the Mars situation and Commander Atreiad's brief was an excellent summary. To clarify, however… if EarthGov is truly turning against Psi Corps, what do you imagine the result will be?"  
  
Elia was rigidly silent, poised like a Greek statue and with her skin having turned a chill white where it was visible from her neck to her face. “Sir.” She said after a moment. “Of course, the reality is that if the Psi-Corps is disbanded, there will be no organisation to protect telepaths from the popular fury of the mundanes. While gentlemen like Francis O’Leary belong broadly to an idealist faction of the government that is ironically centred around the Intelligence agencies, the rest of the government is dominated in a close relationship with the major Earth corporations. These corporations rely on telepaths as the engine of commerce, since they eliminate risk from all business transactions. The overriding objective of the corporations would be to tightly subordinate telepaths, reduce their wages, and eliminate risk. They will use the popular fury and pogroms to justify a new, harsher regime which completely eliminates Telepath involvement from their own governance. Sir.”  
  
"Mister Secretary?" After Onaran nodded to Julia, she looked to Elia and asked, "So you're saying that Psi Corps is necessary for the protection of telepaths?"  
  
“Who else would protect telepaths, Captain?” Elia answered.  
  
"So EarthGov would just standby and let the telepath population get attacked, get murdered, without the Corps around?"  
  
“Did the Tsarist government protect the Jews from the Black Hundreds? Did the Ottoman government protect the Armenians from the Bashi-bazouks, Captain? Democracy is no inoculation, either; elected politicians are most apt to follow the will of their voters when it costs them nothing, better yet, buys them something. If telepaths sell themselves into virtual slavery to the mega-corporations that the Senators really report to for the sake of their personal survival, _and_ the voters are satisfied by the bloody circus of a pogrom, who loses?”  
  
Julia and Jarod forced themselves not to look toward Meridina. Meridina quietly messaged them mentally. _She is not deceiving, nor does she consider herself exaggerating. These are honest answers_.  
  
Julia's return thought was rather vehement. _Yet she makes them sound like, well, a group that wouldn't have been hunting you and Robert down to make you into laboratory experiments!_ A moment after that thought zipped through her head, Julia realized that Elia had to have heard it too.  
  
_I recall Agent Bester's threat quite vividly myself, and I admit to my own trepidations about the organization he represented_ , Meridina replied mentally. _And if I may… an organization in such straits may very well make very cruel decisions if they believe survival is at stake.  
  
Or they can use that belief to justify whatever they want_ , Jarod observed. _Although I can still see why they'd think that way._  
  
These thoughts only took seconds to go through their minds, far faster than the words would be. But there was no hiding the three were in telepathic conversation. Julia gave a nod to Elia. "Alright. Then may I ask why the Corps seems so hellbent on blocking telepaths from getting to the Alliance? I understand they have to enforce the Earth Alliance laws against telepaths, but there doesn't seem to be any dissent from them on enforcing those laws. The way you're making it sound, especially with these new developments, Psi Corps should be coming to us, asking us to help them get telepaths out of Earthspace before the hammer comes down."  
  
“Telepaths are not born cowards waiting in their ghetto to die and looking for ways to abandon their unborn children to the mob!” Elia snapped back in a burst of heated emotion. She gripped her hands together and flushed. Her eyes flashed to look at Imra for a moment, and then she turned her face downwards. “Forgive me, Secretary. That was inappropriate and unbecoming of an officer. I do not have any perspective on this issue and I request my dismissal from this meeting. Captain Zhen’var knows everything you need for your mission.”  
  
The ferocity of Elia's response made Julia lower her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to make it sound that way."  
  
"Your question, Captain, is why Commander Saumarez is here, and why I cannot grant her request just yet." Onaran looked to Elia. "Commander, your report has reached the eyes of many in Portland who have been considering this problem of Human telepaths in E5B1 for two years now. Between that report and those made by Captain Zhen'var, it is clear to us that the situation in Earthspace is becoming critical, and that we may have a humanitarian crisis on our hands. Possibly even a genocide." Onaran's expression was stern at using that word. "We need more options in our dealings with the factions in Earthspace. That is why I am asking you to take up a special assignment."  
  
“You ask me to take an assignment without telling me what it is, Sir. I am needed to complete the operational standup of the _Huáscar,_ ” Elia answered tightly.  
  
"Before you say no, Commander, please hear me out." Onaran met her eyes with his own. "EarthGov and the Alliance have already shared the names of our negotiators. We know that among them is a Psi Corps representative, sent should the Alliance have telepaths at the meeting." Onaran folded his hands before him, leaving them partly open. "Commander, I'd like you to come with us and meet with this telepath. It is time we open a channel of communication between the Alliance and the Psi Corps."  
  
Zhen’var frowned even as she bleakly wanted to laugh at the absurdity of Elia being ordered to do what she had already done. _This is why they are taking away my best officer? This!? To act in an untrained capacity to do something she_ ** _already has?_** _Our Gods are so unkind._ “Why is Commander Saumarez required for this mission? The Union Government can certainly arrange contacts with Psi-Corps upon request. The Mha’dorn is best suited to handle this situation, and there are many who would volunteer.” Zhen’var leaned in. “Furthermore, Mister Secretary, _I_ must protest as the Captain of the _Huáscar,_ for Elia is my Operations Officer during working up and this will unduly impact our working up to have her gone for a week or more.”  
  
The revelation that the Dilgar could contact Psi Corps clandestinely was as much a surprise to Onaran as it was to Julia and Jarod, although Meridina seemed less surprised. "I was unaware of this," Onaran admitted. "Although this makes Commander Saumarez's participation even more vital. As a member of the Mha'dorn, the Corps representative will be more trustful. The establishment of a direct line of communication between the Corps and the Alliance government could save many lives should the worst come to pass."  
  
Sensing Zhen'var was going to continue her line of argument, Elia raised a gloved hand. “Thank you, Captain. However, if this is the desire of the Alliance Government, I will execute the order. Please assign my replacement aboard the _Huáscar_ as soon as possible to guarantee her working-up is not unduly interrupted.” _You know I must do this, Captain,_ she thought to herself.  
  
"I understand I ask much of you, Commander," said Onaran. "You are one of the few who can make this succeed."  
  
Zhen’var looked tiredly around the table, and reached out to take Elia’s gloved hand. “We will be sorry to lose you, Commander, but I understand that you must do this.”  
  
It was Commander Imra who settled it. “Of course, I can maintain the _Heermann_ at operational readiness _and_ stand in as operations officer. I’ll just work two shifts a day until Commander Saumarez returns. It’s only fair.”  
  
With that, Zhen'var rose. “With your permission, Secretary? I don’t want to unduly delay an operation of this importance.” Her voice was very carefully modulated.  
  
Onaran nodded in assent, well aware he had tried Zhen'var's patience. He stood. "Then this meeting is concluded. And thank you, Captain, for your cooperation. I understand this is quite disruptive. We will try to get Commander Saumarez back to you as quickly as we can."  
  
"We'll arrange your quarters aboard the _Aurora_ immediately," Julia said. At that, Jarod immediately began to send a message back to the ship with his omnitool.  
  
By the time Elia had fallen in with Julia and her officers, a rigid mask of iron had settled over her face. Jarod, meanwhile, had a thoughtful look on his face, while Meridina gave Elia a worried glance.  
  
  
  
  
The _Aurora_ and _Shenzhou_ departed She'teyal at virtually the same moment. Julia was in her ready office considering the tricky diplomatic situation. On the viewscreen of her desk monitor, Li Ming-Chung, the Captain of the _Shenzhou_ , was seated at her own ready office. They were of similar age, although their backgrounds were quite different, especially given Li's more tragic background. Her unorthodox name was self-picked, combining the personal name her adopted mothers had given her with their family names in intentional defiance of traditional Chinese culture. Her dark hair was cut shorter than usual, barely reaching shoulder length. " _We're due for the frontier with Earth ourselves, near the Gamma 12 Colony_ ," noted Li. " _The Martian refugees are beginning to return now that the damage to their domes is no longer critical._ "  
  
"Given Zhen'var's reports, Earthforce may attempt to harass the returning ships," Julia noted.  
  
" _And if they do, we'll be ready_ ," Li replied. " _The hard part will be if Mars requests assistance with further repairs and we're sent in. Earthforce was very hostile toward the_ Huáscar _when she went in._ "  
  
"A good thing you can cloak," Julia pointed out.  
  
" _Somehow I do not imagine suddenly appearing at the edge of Mars' orbital space will make our presence any more acceptable_ ," Li answered with a smile. " _Plus we have received indications that EarthGov has begun deploying a tachyon detection grid around all key systems._ "  
  
"Well, that's one edge we've lost," Julia sighed. "Anything else?"  
  
" _Nothing on the mission. Although I have heard from Madeleine. Do you remember Nasira?_ "  
  
The image of a defiant Egyptian girl of the Coptic faith came to Julia's mind. "Of course," Julia said. "Nasira Fanous. She's been Maddie's XO since the _Challenger_ launched."  
  
" _She's been re-assigned_ ," said Li. " _They are giving her command of the_ Maimonides."  
  
"One of those new science cruisers, right?" Julia shook her head. "She's put in enough command time to justify a command of her own, but I suppose Maran doesn't think he can justify giving her anything else."  
  
" _A lot has changed since the war started. Officers with a stronger military bent have been winning promotions, including joining the Promotion Board and Personnel's assignment offices, and Maran has to consider their positions. But it's still a command for Nasira_ ," Li pointed out, smiling. " _It's always good to learn when one of our people goes up in the ranks. We're so few in this sea of peoples from the space-faring cultures…_ "  
  
"I know what you mean." Julia heard a chime at the door. "I've got some work to do on my end, so I'll let you go, Li. Take care."  
  
" _The same to you, my friend._ "  
  
"Come in," Julia said aloud as Li's image disappeared from the monitor. The door opened and Robert entered. "Ready to go?" she asked.  
  
"I am," he said. A little frown formed on his face. "I know you're upset that I can't tell you where, though."  
  
"I understand it's part of the job," Julia replied. She felt a pang of irritation at herself for not hiding the sentiment more carefully. "I just… well, Rob, I'm worried. For this to be top secret…"  
  
"...it could be dangerous, yeah," Robert conceded. "And it probably won't be the last."  
  
"It's not even the first," Julia pointed out. "But I know what you mean. Honestly I suppose I should be used to it. You spent nearly two months on the _Normandy_ …"  
  
"But at least you could talk to me when I was there," Robert pointed out. "And I was with Shepard and a team. Now it's just me and Lucy and, if you don't disapprove, Talara."  
  
"I'll let Locarno know to circulate someone else into the helm watches. Do you want more support?" asked Julia. "Your ship has room for more."  
  
"It won't be necessary with this mission. Really, it's just a quick reconnaissance," Robert assured her. "I may even link up with you at B5 if I get done quickly."  
  
"Hopefully so," she said. Julia got up from her chair and rounded her desk so that she could pull him close for a hug. "Just be careful out there, okay?"  
  
"Yes, mom." Julia responded to that with a playful sarcastic glare. He smiled and replied, "Turnabout's fair play, you know."  
  
"I suppose it is," she said. "Now get thee to thy noble steed, Paladin."  
  
"Right away, my noble lady." Grinning, Robert took her hand and pulled it to his mouth, looking to kiss the knuckles in knightly fashion.  
  
Julia couldn't help but make a face at the sensation of his facial hair bristling against her skin. His lips had barely brushed her finger before she yanked the hand from his grasp. "No kissing of the hand unless you shave," Julia insisted.  
  
"Well, I suppose I do have an incentive to shave after all," Robert jokingly said before turning away. Julia watched him leave the office with a smile, enjoying the teasing, and yet… still utterly worried for his safety.  
  
It was perhaps unfair to her crew for her to feel this way. She was responsible for two thousand lives; worrying that much about one was certainly bias showing. But yet… it wasn't just another person in her life. It was Robert, her Robby, her playmate and companion since she was three years old. What she held for him was… did the word "love" even begin to cover it? He was a part of her life like no one else, not Zack or Angel or even her parents, had ever been. What they had was so precious…  
  
_Just a reconnaissance_ , she reassured herself before she returned to her seat. _He's just going for a little reconnaissance mission_.  
  
  
  
  
The medbay of the _Aurora_ was not particularly busy. Leo thus considered himself as having time to deal with one of his more annoying patients.  
  
Tom sat in an examination chair, his prosthetic arm detached from the stub that ended just below his shoulder. The arm was on the table beside him. Leo leaned over it, examining the internals and frowning. A heavy sigh came next. "You've barely had this thing a month, Tom, just what were you trying to do with it?"  
  
"I was seeing if I could add a power source for a plasma welder attachment," he said. "That's it."  
  
"Tom, so help me…" Leo sighed. "This part, this is the sensitive part, you know that right?"  
  
"Well, yeah, the schematics…"  
  
"And so you know that if you damage this part, the arm will literally go out of control?" Leo continued. "It'll mess up how the machine interprets the signals your nerves send to it."  
  
"What, like I might try to give someone the finger and instead I give them a thumb's up?"  
  
"Or you try to move your arm one way and it goes the other, leading to you hitting someone on accident," replied Leo. "And really, a plasma welder?"  
  
"Well, it saves me from having to carry one around," Tom replied. "Although I suppose I could go for an autospanner attachment instead, that might be more useful."  
  
"How about you use the tools like you always have and not try to fuss with the delicate machinery in your prosthetic arm?" Leo proposed.  
  
Tom let out a harsh laugh. "I'm a freakin' engineer," he said. "You don't think I can handle it? What, will I void the warranty or something?"  
  
Leo closed his eyes. "Lord Almighty, grant me patience."  
  
"What if I just built my own? This stuff can't be too hard to figure out."  
  
"Be my guest." Leo closed the access on the arm. "Just don't touch this one."  
  
"I will build my own, y'know," Tom insisted.  
  
"And I'll happily put it on you if it works," Leo remarked, his skepticism evident. "But I'm not holding my breath."  
  
"I'm interpreting that as a challenge."  
  
"Of course." Leo fitted the arm back onto its attachment point.  
  
"You're daring me here, Leo."  
  
"Uh huh…"  
  
  
  
  
The _Aurora_ was at the edge of Earth space the next morning and still half a day out from B5. But rather than attend to their usual routines for Alpha Shift, Julia and Meridina left Jarod and Locarno to take their places in those duties, freeing them up to respond to Secretary Onaran's summons.  
  
Conference Room Two was the pick Onaran made for introducing the full negotiation team. It would be a working breakfast, the meal provided by Hargert with a mix off cuisines reflecting all four of the Alliance's species and some of the varied dishes from their nations. Bowls of steaming _threek_ \- a soup-like concoction popular for Alakins from their northern continent - and plates of _talna_ steaks and _seemai_ strips from Dorei cuisine joined Gersallian _papam_ and Human cornbread.  
  
Onaran sat at the head of the table. Everyone had a digital reader with them, since they were easier to use if one was trying to eat. He had Julia, Meridina, and Elia to his left. On his right was a Human man of light complexion and a round face: Onaran's lead aide, Ilya Karbarov. Beside him was a Gersallian woman of what, for a Human, would be East Asian facial structure. Her name was Tanapa. Around the room, four more individuals, one a dark-skinned Gersallian in the uniform of the Alliance Army, were gathering food before sitting further down the table.  
  
The last figure to arrive sat across from Elia. He was a man of bronze complexion and Latin features.  
  
Elia knew from the moment the man arrived he was another telepath, and had been intentionally seated across from her to get them to talk to each other, for amusement or intelligence purposes. Uninterested in talking to someone from the Free Colony, she had wandered over to the replicator, ignoring what was already prepared, and instead gotten herself a good hearty Guernsey cream tea. To her body, operating in sync to a different schedule from the First Watch that was set to the legal workday in Portland on Alliance ships, it still felt like afternoon and some comfort food was in order, anyway. She made a show of remaining utterly focused on the ceremonial act of splitting the scone and topping it with jam, followed by a heavy ladle of clotted cream, and also of pouring milk into the tea she’d replicated as dark black as a working navvy’s and stirling idly until it was a brownish-blonde. The familiar ritual kept her mind empty and quiet.  
  
Onaran seemed to be distracted for a moment, looking through the contents of a datapad. When he was done he gestured to the newest arrival. "Captain, Commanders, this is Emilio Travada, the head of the Free Colony's Diplomatic Service."  
  
Meridina glanced uneasily toward Julia and Onaran. _The seating arrangements are inappropriate_ , she mentally flashed to Julia.  
  
_I didn't make them_ , was the return thought. _I think Onaran is testing both of them. It's the only explanation that makes sense_.  
  
"It is good to meet you all," Travada said, his English accented moderately by Portuguese. Glancing to Elia, he said, "Especially you, Commander Saumarez." His greeting was polite, but his eyes fixed momentarily on her gloves; realization dawned on him and he reinforced the defenses around his mind.  
  
“Chief Travada,” Elia answered, her eyes never quite leaving the scone. Her Mother and Father had taught her to be polite. Life frequently depended on it.  
  
Only Meridina sensed Travada's response. It was a sentiment of understanding as another exile of conscience; but he maintained a guarded posture. Necessity had forced her out, but she was still loyal to the Corps and he knew it. Aloud he said, "I heard what you did at Tira, Commander. I am sorry it forced you to leave your Mother and Father."  
  
A flash of white-hot anger never left her mental shields. “As a Naval Officer of the Alliance I am sworn to uphold universal principles of sapient rights. As a _Huáscareno_ I do it out of habit.” Onaran’s speech was frankly a merciful interruption by that point.  
  
"Now that we are all here, it is time that I share facts of the greatest secrecy with all present. To begin with, our negotiating position is a simple one. Earth's laws against telepaths are reprehensible, driven by base fear, and that the best method for them to employ against the terrorists is to remove the basis for the conflict between the Underground and the Corps. The Crawford-Tokash Acts must be repealed and the civil rights of telepaths restored, and we will offer assistance to Earth should it agree to such." Onaran shook his head. "But of greater importance is the discovery made by the _Huáscar_ 's officers during the investigation into the attack on Mars." Onaran tapped his digital reader, sharing a file to all of the others in the room. "Further analysis has confirmed their findings. The attack on Mars was made using Darglan technology."  
  
Julia and Meridina were jolted by the news, as were Onaran's other subordinates. Travada's eyes widened and his mouth started to open and then close. Tanapa gasped and muttered, "Swenya's Light, _how_?"  
  
"We are still investigating how the Underground obtained access to such technology," Onaran stated.  
  
"Has my government been informed?" Travada asked. He was clearly shaken by the news.  
  
"Do they need to be, Chief Travada? Here where it costs us nothing, I will be blunt, Sir, there is only one known source of Darglan technology in the multiverse,” Elia replied, her voice again sharply controlled.  
  
"I know what you are getting at, Commander, but we had nothing to do with this," Travada insisted. "We're too busy building our world to indulge in madness like that."  
  
"To answer your question, Minister Travada, we have consulted with Governor Kuhln on the issue, and he has issued the same assurances. Unfortunately, as Commander Saumarez has reminded us just now, the sources for Darglan technology are limited. The Alliance is the only major source. If the investigators from EarthGov have determined this for themselves, and they likely will at some point, Earth's suspicions about the Alliance and Free Colony will seem verified."  
  
"What kind of Darglan technology was used?" Julia asked. "Transporter traces? Weapons? Were there any recovered items?"  
  
“Both,” Elia answered. “But primarily weapons on the flyers which were used. They had been modified into fighters, probably at a custom workshop. There were no recovered items because the attack focused on total destruction--there were twenty thousand killed, confirmed. The only ground operation was the one which intentionally scattered the children from the XI research facility into the tunnels so their abilities would cause panic in the Martians. That’s a classic tactic of the so-called Telepath Resistance, which after all started using child suicide bombers to hit targets like schools a hundred and fifty years ago, and hasn’t stopped since. They were too disciplined to abandon any weaponry.”  
  
_Twenty thousand…_ Travada thought out loud in shock through his own defenses before turning his thoughts inward to consider his stance and approach.  
  
Julia felt a wave of revulsion at the idea of using children like that. As she was considering the scope of the attack, Meridina spoke up. "I imagine an investigation has been launched?"  
  
"It has, and it is still ongoing," Onaran answered. "But it is unlikely to be completed soon. There is much to inventory among various weapon manufacturers. We will have to wait and see if EarthGov has come to its conclusion yet, and if they have, how they will react during the negotiations."  
  
"They might break the talks off completely, or make non-negotiable demands," Julia said. "We probably need to consider that this is going to create a permanent rift between the Alliance and EarthGov."  
  
“Conquer them like we did the Reich,” Elia answered. “Force universal human rights. As long as we’re talking freely, and for interests of how you want to use me in this role _Secretary,_ that is my professional opinion. Ghettos and kleptocracy--so what if they haven’t reached the final stage of genocide, the system has been optimized to let them turn the dial up or down. I know this isn’t my choice and I will obey orders, but speaking from my perspective on the laws governing the Alliance Stellar Navy and our duty to proactively defend against atrocities, why do we negotiate with people who enable and encourage pogroms and compromise with totalitarians? We are mobilised and they are not.”  
  
_As much as I have sickened of war, there is justice in her words_ , Meridina said to Julia. _The Earth Alliance has much to answer for_.  
  
Onaran, for his part, nodded. "Your point is one I have heard in Portland, Commander, and there is justice in it. But while we are still built up from our defeat of the Reich, we must face the possibility that Earth would not stand alone should we move to impose civil rights for telepaths upon them. There are species in the InterStellar Alliance that would side with Earth over us out of self-interest or remnant hostility from the Tira Crisis, enough that Earth might successfully compel the ISA to intervene on their behalf against us. And given the other threats the Alliance must consider, especially that brought about by Gul Dukat, the Alliance Government is attempting to avoid conflict where it can should our strength be needed elsewhere." Onaran frowned. "And I need not mention Senator Pensley's faction."  
  
"Or Hawthorne's," Julia added. "I can already imagine how he and Davies would react to a war."  
  
"Indeed." Onaran gave Elia a meaningful look. "If we are to reform the Earth Alliance, it may require internal processes instead of external imposition."  
  
“Then all of those internal processes necessarily run through the consensus of Psi-Corps, Secretary, Sirs. Without the org which represents the consensus of ninety-five percent of the oppressed people at the table, you cannot say you have acted in their interest.”  
  
Before the flash of skepticism could fully develop in Julia's mind, Meridina nodded. "The Commander raises an eloquent point, Mister Secretary. Whatever concerns we may have of the Psi Corps' actions in some circumstances, they do number the majority of Human _farisa_ in this universe. Imposing any agreement upon them without even the slightest consultation will be, among other concerns, quite counterproductive."  
  
"Of that I am in agreement," Onaran said, while it seemed clear his subordinates were not so certain. Nor was Julia. And that was all he said for the moment on that particular matter, although his surface thoughts made clear that he considered that point to be the reason for Elia's mission. "The Telepaths, all of them, should be involved in discussing their fate."  
  
"I must admit my skepticism of our opening terms, then, Mister Secretary," said Karbarov. "Given what we have read and heard, do you truly believe the Earth Alliance will agree to open emigration of any telepath who does not wish to join the Corps or go on these… 'sleeper' drugs?"  
  
Onaran did not respond immediately, but he did seem to sense - or rather, guess - that Elia had thoughts on the matter. "Commander, I have already discussed the emigration issue with Minister Travada. I am also interested in your thoughts on the matter."  
  
Emillio took the pause between Onaran’s question and the Commander’s response to speak and try to reassert some authority on what he perceived to be his bailiwick. His tone was clipped but polite, and he betrayed nothing of his surface thoughts “I honestly don’t see how we can do anything else but be absolutely firm on that position. The Earth Alliance will never accept telepath civil rights, but emigration is something we can get out of them with sufficient considerations.”  
  
Elia’s rigid expression admitted no emotion. “What about the unborn telepaths? How do you justify denuding them of a community to welcome and protect them? The rate is one in a thousand of mundane births. That's my opinion. And of course two of three on any ratline will die or be enslaved before reaching Alliance space. _That_ 's just a matter of objective fact, not emotional influence.”  
  
“Some is better than none, Commander. We can’t very well impose our will on fifteen billion people and expect it to last. If we want anything of our culture to survive, withdrawal is the only sensible option. It’s better that than for all of us to be ground out as dust beneath an Earthforce boot.” Travada replied, also admitting no emotion. But he wasn’t as well-trained as Elia was, and whiffs of fear leaked through his defenses. Fear not only of what could happen to him, but of what he might be forced to do. They weren’t his kids, the Corps might delude itself into thinking that they were, but he always found that notion ridiculous.  
  
“Be that as it may,” Elia answered very quietly, “The Secretary has been given my professional opinion as directed. Sir.” She could feel Travada, could have spoken to him, didn’t want to. Occupying the tenuous borderland between the mundane-imposed P9 and P10 ratings and trained in military tactics, she could have done a lot more than talk to him, for that matter. Those temptations, she also kept well buried. The gnawing feeling of helplessness, of being unable to have any material impact on the fate of her people--that was very familiar, indeed. She remembered the lyrics to a song, _‘hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way’,_ and silently finished eating her scone.  
  
Onaran nodded. Karbarov was skeptical the legal emigration concept would go anywhere and Elia was clearly opposed to it due to the likely fates of any new telepaths born to the Human population. But he couldn't simply abandon it, not without the talks commencing. That invited EarthGov to misjudge the Alliance and sent a bad signal to the telepath population regardless. "I see. Then we should move on to considering the issue of EarthGov's likely demands over their claims on former Darglan space…"  
  
  
  
  
Once everyone was gone, Julia and Meridina remained alone for a moment. "Darglan technology," Julia murmured. "But why would it be in their hands?"  
  
"The agreement with Lyta called for her people to have some means for their own defense," Meridina pointed out. "It is possible those weapons were used. Maybe stripped from attack craft."  
  
"And now Earth has an excuse to demand things from us," Julia noted grimly. "By themselves, well, they can't outbuild us, they're smaller than some of our individual members, and our technology is better. But as the others pointed out, they won't be alone."  
  
"Indeed. Therefore diplomacy will be paramount."  
  
"And there's the Secretary's other mission."  
  
"I sensed your discomfort," Meridina noted.  
  
"They tried to take you and Rob and turn you into guinea pigs," Julia said, almost hissing. "They hunt their own people. She wants me to believe that they're the real victims here?"  
  
"They are," Meridina noted. "It does not excuse their own dark acts, but they too suffer under a government that treats them abominably. Given what they labor under, some will easily fall into darkness."  
  
"It's why I think Zhen'var was wrong," Julia said. "Those children would have had happier lives in the Alliance. They would be _free_."  
  
"I do not dispute the truth of that statement. They would be free. But when you consider what they suffered, and the bonds that you would be snapping? I fear such a choice would have inflicted great harm to them, regardless of your good intent."  
  
As always, Meridina was good at debating Julia on such things. She could see Meridina's point. The entire situation with telepaths in this universe, Human ones anyway, was infuriating. "Do you think… if we manage to talk Earth into being kinder to them, do you think Psi Corps might become better people? Could they repudiate people like Bester?"  
  
"I suspect they may be too used to their current situation to do so easily," said Meridina. "But I believe, whether or not they were to turn on Bester and those like him, they have hope to become something better for themselves. But neither of us can dictate that. Commander Saumarez is correct about that. The telepaths will decide their fate for themselves. We can only help them win the opportunity to do so and strengthen the Light." Meridina stood. "I shall return to the bridge immediately."  
  
"And I have paperwork to do before I join you," she said, standing as well.  
  
Meridina turned as she approached the door. "Whatever the circumstances, I admit I am looking forward to visiting _Babylon-5_ again."  
  
Julia nodded and grinned. "So am I."  
  
  
  
  
Julia arrived on the bridge in time for the arrival. Given the nature of the meeting she was wearing the dress uniform, which replaced the black of the normal uniform with white and added golden epaulettes and shoulder-boards to the shoulders. Several commendations were attached as medals to the right breast of her uniform jacket, with the Alliance Senate Order of Merit, the Star of Valor, and the United Federation of Planets' Peace Medal the most prominent of them.  
  
Jarod looked up from the command chair. Tra'dur was at Ops in his place, otherwise the bridge command crew were all at their stations. "I thought you'd be waiting in the Transporter Station?" he asked.  
  
"I'll head down as soon as we're on approach," Julia said. "But I want a look at what Earth has waiting for us."  
  
Caterina looked up from her station. "There's definitely a ship near the station. A big one."  
  
Julia didn't replace Jarod in the command chair, simply standing behind Cat's station and waiting patiently for the moment to arrive. It came within a minute. "Dropping from warp," said Locarno.  
  
The ship decelerated from warp in the space of a second. "Put B5 on screen," Julia ordered.  
  
"Aye Captain," answered Tra'dur.  
  
The bridge holo-viewer came to life. Set against the pale beige of Epsilon 3, the space station _Babylon-5_ continued to spin in place, much as it had the last time Julia had been to the station. _It's been almost two years_ , she thought to herself.  
  
But now it wasn't alone. Near it's five mile long body was a ship almost twice the length of the _Aurora_ herself. Its design aesthetic was quite different from her ship, long and blocky, visible weapons ports on the bow and sides with a large engine in the rear. Julia had seen the design only a couple of times before.  
  
"They have a _Warlock_ -class dreadnought alongside the station," Cat remarked. "IFF code identifies her as the _EAS Titans_."  
  
" _Titans_." Julia recalled the name. "That was the ship that took control of the _EAS Huáscar_ at Rohric. Susan Ivanova's ship."  
  
"They knew we were bringing Onaran," noted Jarod. "So this is a message."  
  
"Either they're trying to intimidate us, sending a dreadnought when we sent a star cruiser…"  
  
"...or we've become famous enough that they decided nothing less than John Sheridan's old XO was suitable," Jarod finished for her.  
  
"It would be nice to know which," Julia said. She turned back to the lift. "I'm on my way to Transporter Station 1. Signal for transport as soon as we're cleared."  
  
"You've got it," said Jarod.


	2. Chapter 2

The negotiation team was beamed into the reception area connected to the VIP docks, Julia and Meridina joining them. They were met by their counterparts on the Earth team. In the lead was an older man, middle-aged going on elderly, with graying hair, mustache, and beard, and a demeanor that seemed pleasantly warm. Behind him were a number of other Humans of varying dress, equaling Onaran's team. One, a woman approaching middle-age, was in a black-and-gray suit with the brass Psi pin of a Psi Corps member prominent on the suit.  
  
To his side were two women in Earthforce dress uniform. Julia recognized Captain Elizabeth Lochley, an older woman of dusky complexion and light brown, almost reddish hair. She was the commander of the station. Beside her was a woman, Caucasian, with brown hair and blue eyes that scanned them carefully. Julia found it easy to guess it was Ivanova, whom she hadn't met at Rohric during the _Titans_ ' brief time there.  
  
The bearded man nodded to them and smiled warmly. "Secretary Onaran, it is my pleasure to meet you."  
  
"And it is mine as well in meeting you face to face, Minister Lantze," Onaran replied. "My thanks to Earth for providing us this opportunity to settle matters between our governments."  
  
"We are quite hopeful that we can make progress," Lantze said. Julia wondered if that was genuine or an act, given the difficulties they were facing.   
  
One of Lantze's people stepped up and whispered in his ear. Lantze's expression briefly froze, becoming quite brittle in appearance before he recovered himself. "Mister Secretary," he began, "I am afraid there is an issue that must be addressed before we begin."  
  
Onaran inclined his head slightly. ''Please, inform us of this issue."  
  
Lantze did not seem particularly enthused by the request, but it was clearly part of the EarthGov position. He sighed and said, "I am afraid that the presence of Mister Travada is not acceptable to Earth. He is a rogue telepath, representing an illegal settlement of rogues. We cannot accept him in the negotiations."  
  
Onaran narrowed his eyes. "Minister Travada is the diplomatic representative appointed by an Alliance affiliate state for talks in which that state has a clear and defined interest. He is the voice of his people, and it must be heard."  
  
Julia noticed the hard look on the face of the Psi Corps woman, but even that paled in comparison to the open disgust from a couple of the other Earth people. As one of them sidled up to Lantze and drew his attention, Julia felt Meridina make telepathic contact with her mind. She shared not words but impressions; the Psi Corps woman was displeased, but the thoughts coming from some of the others was worse, open contempt for the Allied Systems mixed with raw hate for Travada. Most felt offended by the very idea of a telepath being the "Minister" of any kind of government. The only exception, which Meridina pointed out, was a Chinese man in a formal suit.  
  
After a moment of discussion, a displeased, resigned Lantze turned back to Onaran. "I am afraid Earth must insist on the exclusion of Mister Travada from any discussions. We do not recognize his government as a legitimate one nor his right to participate."  
  
Onaran nodded once and immediately looked to Julia. "Captain Andreys, please arrange for our immediate return to the _Aurora_. It appears we have come out all of this way for nothing."  
  
Lantze sucked in breath. Some surprise showed on a few of the Earth members. Ivanova, however, smiled thinly, as if impressed. Julia thought she saw approval on the Chinese man's face as well.  
  
"Mister Secretary, please…" pleaded Lantze.  
  
Onaran's eyes bored into Lantze and then those with him, twin amethysts glittering with distaste. "I will give EarthGov ten hours to reconsider before the _Aurora_ departs," he said.  
  
Without consultation from those with him, Lantze insistently declared, "There is no need. In the interests of peace, we will concede and permit Mister Travada to join our talks, so long as you accept the presence of our advisor from Psi Corps."  
  
Onaran nodded. "Then there is no issue. I believe you wished to hold a friendly reception meal before we begin business?"  
  
"Yes. Captain?"  
  
Lochley, who had remained silent the whole time, suddenly spoke as if she had never been out of the conversation. "Mister Secretary, Captain, if you will all follow me?" She turned and the two teams, as a group, departed the receiving area.  
  
_I wonder how the Psi Corps' 'advisor' feels about that distinction_ , Julia thought, knowing Meridina - and like Travada - would overhear, not to mention the advisor herself. _We're demanding the telepath minority be given a seat at the table, Earth only has a telepath present to stop our telepaths from picking at their brains. And the Corps is still the majority of them.  
  
I suspect she is used to it_, Meridina lamented.  
  
  
  
  
The holodecks could be used for many different kinds of activity, such as training or scientific examination. On some ships in the Alliance fleet, captains tightly regulated them as for training only, or for training and scientific purposes. Other captains saw them as a means to improve crew morale, as the most desired use of the holodeck for many wasn't for training or science, but for entertainment and fun (although for Cat, science _was_ fun). Tom Barnes in particular had noticed its potential in one field almost immediately.  
  
Holodecks allowed for the _best_ video games ever.  
  
Tom had his hands on the flight stick of a P-51 Mustang fighter. He pulled and moved the stick to keep the German aircraft in his crosshairs, pulling the finger trigger often and watching bright tracer fire play over the German fighter. Flame spewed from where his guns were ripping into the simulated aluminum (aluminium according to Scotty) skin of the Nazi craft. Damage caused the other craft's maneuvering to cease, allowing Tom the easy kill with his next barrage. His aircraft went barrelling by the enemy plane as it fell apart.  
  
There was a stream of tracer fire in front of him, coming from below. Tom banked hard to evade. Some bullets still struck, but nothing vital was hit. He turned and climbed, putting the engine to full, and then dived to make use of this gain in altitude. All the while tracer bullets would appear, his foe reminding him that he was being hunted. So long as he kept this foe from doing to him the same he'd done to his opponent's buddy…  
  
His radio crackled to life. " _I've got him_." With that, Zack's fighter dove in from the direction of the sun, catching Tom's foe by surprise. A burst of fire turned their last remaining opponent into a fireball that broke apart in the blue skies, sending them to the French farmland below. Zack pulled his Mustang up beside Tom's and flashed him a thumb's up sign through the cockpit.  
  
" _Alright lads, fighter sweep complete_ ," an English male voice said. " _Best run yet. Would you like to try again?_ "  
  
"Nope," Tom said, knowing Zack was saying the same.  
  
" _Ready for landing?_ "  
  
"Skip landing sequence."  
  
Their surroundings changed immediately to an airfield in southern England. Their once mobile planes were now parked and shut down. They opened the cockpits themselves and climbed out. "Computer, end program." The holodeck shut down, leaving them in an empty room of blue walls. "Well, that was fun," Zack said. "I didn't think we'd beat our old score." He raised his fist and Tom bumped it, knuckle-to-knuckle. "It's good to see I haven't lost all of my piloting touch."  
  
As he spoke they stepped out of the holodeck and into the ship's corridors. Given they were on a starship, being dressed up as World War II-era fighter pilots made them look particularly out of place. "You're still on flight status, right?" asked Tom.  
  
"No. I'm inactive until I complete the requalification course," Zack answered. "Between the time I was gone and my time on psychiatric leave, I didn't get enough qualifying flight hours to keep my wings."  
  
"Well, when are you going to take the course?"  
  
"Probably never," Zack answered.  
  
"But you love flying, man," Tom said, looking worried. "Why would you give it up?"  
  
Zack returned the look with a small smile. "Yeah, I do love flying fighters. But I've got duties as CO of the _Koenig_. I let my crew down, Tom, so I have to work twice as hard to get their trust back. I don't have the time for the re-qualification tests or the mandatory flight time to keep my wings."  
  
"Huh. Yeah, that makes sense. Kinda sucks though. You know they've got a new model of the Mongoose now, right?"  
  
"I saw," he affirmed. "And they're awesome. But my place is on _Koenig_." They arrived at a lift that would take them back to their quarters. "Deck 4," said Zack. He gave Tom his own worried look now. "How's the arm?"  
  
"Ah, it's fine," Tom said. "Although Leo's cramping my style, saying I shouldn't alter it."  
  
"Leo will always be Leo," Zack pointed out. "I'm just glad the arm seems to be doing good."  
  
"Yeah, it is. I'm getting so used to it I sometimes forget it's not my original arm," Tom admitted, holding his right hand up to look at it. The pseudoskin matched the hue of the rest of his body just right, but there was a certain feel to it that was off whenever he touched it. "I sometimes get nightmares," he confessed. "That I'm pinned in that wreckage again, but the plasma welder is just out of reach, no matter how far I stretch. And the entire place just keeps getting hotter and hotter, and Julia and Scotty are screaming over the line that the reactors are melting down one by one, and I just can't _reach_ the damn thing. Like I'm completely helpless."  
  
Zack set his hand on Tom's shoulder. "I know the feeling, buddy."  
  
Tom looked at him. "Let me guess. Clara?"  
  
"Sometimes," Zack said. He didn't say that sometimes it was Julia that the Cylons shot dead. "And since Germania, I keep seeing that teenage Dilgar girl in my dreams. And no matter what I try, she always gets blown to bits. People scream for me to help and then there's a big boom and… well…"  
  
"Damn man," Tom said, shaking his head. "Y'know, when we got out here, it was like this really cool adventure. Now it's…"  
  
"Now it's serious," Zack finished for him. "And it's our lives, and more, on the line."  
  
"I never thought I'd be hacking my own fraking arm off, man. And they had you charging tanks and crap, watching people get blown up. That stuff messes you up." Barnes shook his head.  
  
"Yeah," Zack said quietly. He could still see those Dilgar being blown to pieces. "That's the price we paid to come home, really. Thousands had to pay with their lives to stop the Nazis."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know."  
  
The lift opened. "Same time tomorrow?" Tom asked.  
  
"Sure," replied Zack.  
  
  
  
  
As it turned out, EarthGov spared no expense, funding the reception lavishly with fresh food shipped directly from Earth and prepared by the kitchen staff of the station's most respected restaurant. Introductions were shared among the two negotiating teams.  
  
"Everyone, please, a toast," Lantze requested, holding aloft a glass of wine. Those present quieted and did the same. "To the peace that brave men and women such as Captain Andreys and Commander Meridina won," and here he nodded toward Julia and Meridina, "by defeating the horror of the Reich, and to the hope that here we will preserve that peace and overcome the unfortunate issues that have divided our peoples. To peace!"  
  
"To peace," echoed in the conference room, not spoken by all with the same enthusiasm as Lantze clearly had. After the toast, with individual members of the two groups splitting up to privately discuss matters, Julia took the time to note how they were reacting to Travada's presence. It was clear that most of Lantze's team were hostile to his presence, shunning his approach openly. Only one of the Earth team approached him, the Chinese man, who identified himself as Deng Jiang, who shook hands with Travada. As if not to be outdone, Captain Ivanova did the same.  
  
It was easy to notice the same could be said for Astrid Bergsen, introduced as the Psi Corps "advisor" to the Earth team. Her own team gave her a wide berth. And they kept their distance from Meridina as well, as if she could download their memories with a glance. Julia noticed Meridina look toward Bergsen, but she was locked in conversation with her fellow Gersallian, the diplomat Tanapa, and did not approach.  
  
Julia's attention was diverted when Lantze stepped up to Onaran and her. "My apologies, Mister Secretary, for that display," Lantze said. "I had to obey my instructions on the matter of Minister Travada."  
  
"Oh?" The Dorei man showed not a hint of recrimination.  
  
"Earth believed it to be impolitic to acknowledge or recognize, in any way, the Free Colony," Lantze explained. "The belief in EarthDome is that such recognition would inspire more telepaths to turn rogue and flee, complicating our relationship with the Psi Corps. I was only permitted to accept their presence as a concession."  
  
The language made Julia suspicious that this had become a negotiating tactic: "We've given something up for you, now give us something", done before they even reached the table. Onaran, whether he believed it or not, nodded. "I understand the difficulties that a diplomat can operate under when instructions are strict," he said soothingly. "Hopefully we may use this to find a common ground."  
  
Lantze was clearly pleased with that remark. He and Onaran stepped away, Lantze beginning to discuss something involving a grandchild.  
  
Julia considered following but stopped when she noticed Captain Ivanova's approach. Ivanova came to a stop in front of her and nodded. "Captain Andreys," she said, her accent mostly American. "Your reputation precedes you."  
  
"Yours as well, Captain Ivanova," Julia replied. "And it's more impressive."  
  
"At the rate you're going, it won't be for much longer," Ivanova replied. "It's a shame I missed out on the push to Germania. I have twice the reason to want to blow up Nazis."  
  
"Russian and…?"  
  
"Jewish," Ivanova said. "Not very observant, true, but that wouldn't have mattered to those bastards."  
  
"I understand," Julia said, nodding quietly.  
  
"Your record against the Reich is one thing. What you did at Tira… it impressed the hell out of a lot of us in Earthforce. The Drazi and Brakiri went completely over the line."  
  
Visions of smashed incubation tubes and the broken remains of Dilgar babies briefly entered Julia's mind. "They left the line over the horizon if you ask me." She returned her attention to Ivanova. "I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you at Rohric."  
  
"It's no trouble. We didn't linger," said Ivanova. "Earthforce only sent us because someone had to bring the _Huáscar_ back."  
  
"You also carried Governor Ari'shan, though."  
  
"They would have put him on an EAI ship if I hadn't been available for that mission," said Ivanova.  
  
Julia took a sip of her drink, a fine wine that had a rich taste. Almost too rich for her preference, but enduring such things was the cost of doing diplomacy. "Earthforce felt that embarrassed about Tira?"  
  
"Well, the ones who stayed with Clark back during the Civil War were upset that Captain Varma got involved in saving the Dilgar in the first place. And all of the officers who fought Clark were furious when EarthGov gave Foster support for mutinying against Varma. Then, depending on who you talk to, either Varma legitimately reclaimed her ship with loyal officers or staged a mutiny against the Earth-supported commander, making us look weak before aliens." Ivanova gave a frustrated sigh. "The entire thing was a screwup that Earthforce is happy to forget happened."  
  
"A funny way to describe an officer seizing their ship to openly support genocide," Julia remarked.  
  
"True. Good old EarthGov. Avoid the hard decisions until someone has a PPG to your head, then pick the wrong one." Ivanova rolled her eyes.  
  
"If you ask me, Captain Varma should have been given your highest commendation and returned to her ship."  
  
There was a flicker in Ivanova's eyes. It was joined by an uncertain silence. "Yes, I agree," said Ivanova. "It's good to hear she finally came around to doing the right thing."  
  
That won Julia's attention immediately. "What do you mean?"  
  
"How close are you to Captain Varma?" Ivanova asked. "I've heard she's accepted an Alliance commission now."  
  
"Personally? Not very," Julia admitted. "I did just meet her again on her new command. But we're, well, I think pretty frigid right now. Professional courtesy and that's it."  
  
Ivanova nodded. "She's always been an odd one. And she has a very rigid code of honor. It's why she fought on Clark's side in the Civil War after leaving B5."  
  
Julia blinked at that. "She did?"  
  
"Oh, she talked it up as remaining loyal to her oath to Earth," Ivanova said. "And she wasn't helping Nightwatch, I'll give her that. But when we asked her to support us after B5 became independent, she refused to sign up. All she'd do, she said, was protect the station. Given the stakes we weren't about to risk a secret Clark loyalist remaining on staff, so we shipped her back to Earth." Ivanova frowned at the recollection. "I hear Clark's people didn't care much for her either, she was too friendly to aliens for their tastes, but they didn't want to act against someone who fought on the Line."  
  
"So if both sides hated her, how did she end up in command?"  
  
"General Lefcourt supported her, gave her postings," Ivanova said. "She gets rewarded for making the wrong choice, then loses it when she makes the right choice. God's sense of humor, I suppose." A curious look came to the older woman's face. "So, I'm guessing she has some strong opinions on this current crisis?"  
  
"Some, I think," said Julia. "I'm still confused on why she let Psi Corps reclaim the telepath children her crew recovered on Mars."  
  
"She's always been a sympathizer for the Psi Corps." There was real heat in Ivanova's voice. "Maybe we shouldn't be surprised she sided with Clark…"  
  
“The answer is fairly simple Captain, Captain Zhen’var repatriated them after their house-parents were brutally murdered, because they’re our children. We raise them communally. Oh, and we won in court with our own lawyer.” The Psi Corps representative interjected politely in a happy-sounding Swedish accent, that last part was spoken with _particular_ pride. She stepped up to form a conversational tripod from a position where she could see every other mundane in the room.  
  
“Astrid Bergsen, Psi Corps Commercial division, rating P9. A pleasure to meet you Captain Andreys.” she turned again, not missing a beat. “And need I remind you Captain Ivanova that the Psi Corps is bound by our charter to political neutrality.”  
  
"Which is why you endorsed Clark, and why so many members of Psi Corps helped the Nightwatch mind-rape innocent people?" Ivanova retorted.  
  
“Did we endorse him?” She asked. “I seem to recall that Director York is a non-telepath appointed by the Earth Alliance Senate. A quandary for the history books I suppose!” Astrid replied cheerfully. “Though I’m afraid that same charter also prohibits me from commenting on any aspect of what the Psi Corps may or may not have have done during the Civil War. However, I can discuss a hypothetical, will you permit me Captains?”  
  
A look of impatience was showing on Ivanova's face. Julia preempted any refusal by stating, "Alright. I'll hear you out."  
“Thank you for your forbearance. Say you have a population that is without any civil rights, including the vote and due process, shackled to the will of the state. Say that entire population makes up, oh, less than half a percent of a country’s population, and they know they might be subject to pogroms like they were in the past if they refused to do what they were told by the state; would you expect those people to _openly_ disobey the orders of said state?”  
  
The word "pogroms" brought back dark memories for Julia, of a little town in Eastern Europe with rampaging Cossack cavalrymen sweeping through the streets, setting fire to homes and running people down. She remembered the surge of anger vividly, the grip on her pulse rifle before Robert and Angel rushed in, all to buy time for Tom and the other transporter operators on the _Kelley_ to evacuate the residents.  
  
"My people know something of pogroms themselves," Ivanova said. "It doesn't change what the Corps has become. Or what it's done." There was a quiet fury in Ivanova's voice as she said that.  
  
“Here I am speaking in hypotheticals, and you’re discussing the Psi Corps… You know I cannot necessarily answer your charges. However, let us assume there are excesses. Surely you know that there are always going to be quislings in the ranks of such a people that must be continually rooted out and destroyed. Surely you also know that this must be done quietly.”  
  
Before Ivanova could respond, Julia looked to Astrid and asked, "You keep bringing up the Psi Corps charter as forbidding you from discussing anything. You're telling me the charter forbids you from discussing anything about the telepath issue?"  
  
“I am permitted to discuss the facts of history and law as an intellectual exercise, and am freer to speak in private, Captain. However, in a public forum I cannot discuss the merits of EarthGov policy or weigh in on controversial topics, that issue included. Nor am I permitted to vote, hold public office, or act as a journalist in any capacity other than perhaps to be interviewed on a matter of public information concern. A Psi Cop might get on ISN and provide information about an ongoing criminal investigation that impacts the public, for instance.” Astrid answered in as cheerful a way as possible, but the smile never reached her eyes, instead her eyes gleamed with quiet anger.  
  
Julia glanced briefly to Ivanova, who remained stolidly quiet, before she looked back to Astrid. She thought she could see far more to say behind those quiet, angry eyes, things Astrid didn't dare say in any kind of public venue. What she said tracked with what Julia already knew about the Earth Alliance and she felt a pang of sympathy for the idea of having to live like that.  
  
A little part of her rebelled at that sympathy. _These are the same people who hunted Rob and Meridina to turn them into lab rats!  
  
I have been cleared to tell you this: We are sorry about that. Partially a misunderstanding, partially Bester, partly standing orders from EarthGov. _  
  
Given the silence that passed between them a suspicious look came to Ivanova. Before she could say anything Julia clamped down her anger and said, "I'm sorry you have to live like that. People should be free."  
  
“I thank you for that.” Astrid said gently. “It is… tiring. There are those who, under different conditions, might _defenestrate_ me for being as forward as I have been.” She glanced over at Ivanova.  
  
Ivanova crossed her arms and gave Astrid a hard look. "I've gotten along perfectly fine with a telepath being forward with me. And she was loyal to the Corps too. The Corps repaid her by turning her into a spy and erasing her personality." As she spoke, Julia watched Ivanova's expression change, restrained anger giving way to painful loss.  
  
Astrid actually looked at her with real sympathy, like she knew exactly how Ivanova felt. “Remember what I said about quislings that need to be rooted out and destroyed? It isn’t always possible to bring the victims back, but speaking hypothetically of course, it is possible to _settle the account_.”  
  
Ivanova looked skeptical but said nothing. Julia couldn't tell if she had nothing left to say, or if she couldn't think of what to say, but her silence continued on for seconds until Julia, remembering Onaran's other mission, said, "Have you met my first officer, Ms. Bergsen? She is a Gersallian telepath trained in the Order of Swenya."  
  
“I’m afraid I have not had the pleasure. I’ll go introduce myself and let you two get back to your conversation.” Astrid replied and dismissed herself, giving Ivanova one more look that was equal parts anger and sadness before she left.  
  
Julia watched her approach Meridina, who now stood by herself, before looking back to Ivanova. "The telepath you mentioned. The one with the…"  
  
"I'd rather not talk about it," Ivanova said, her expression rigidly stoic. "Sometimes I am reminded why we Russians are the people who understand the universe the most."  
  
Julia blinked. "I imagined you were Russian-descended. You speak English with an American accent."  
  
"I've had too many assignments with North Americans," she explained. "I lost my accent years ago." Ivanova offered her hand and Julia accepted it for a handshake. "It was nice to speak with you, Captain. Before the negotiations are over, I'd like to buy you a drink. It's been too long since I've been by Earhart's here on the station. They make a great Jovian sunspot."  
  
Julia nodded. "I think I'd like that."  
  
  
  
  
Meridina was beginning to worry that she might have to be more direct - too direct to not go unnoticed - when Astrid approached her. Meridina gave the Psi Corps woman a quiet look and seemed to wait for her to exchange pleasantries. Mentally she projected a thought toward Astrid, a desire to converse privately.  
  
“Astrid Bergsen, Psi Corps Commercial division, rating P9.” Astrid said verbally _Your charmingly… ill-informed shipmate suggested I speak to you. I’m going to assume it has something to do with my actual reason for being here._  
  
"I am Commander Meridina, First Officer of the _Starship Aurora_. I myself am a telepath. We do not rate quite the same way your people do, but I believe I would be considered a P10 in telepathic capability." _Yes. I am here to facilitate a private meeting between you and an Alliance officer and member of the Mha'dorn._  
  
“Ah, a pleasure to make your acquaintance then. Your reputation precedes you.” _Excellent, a Dilgar would stand out, I wouldn’t suppose it’s my prodigal sister?_  
  
Meridina gave a nod at the verbal remark, although it had a double meaning. "I have not dealt with the commercial side of Psi Corps before," Meridina admitted aloud. "I am told your work is the same as some of the professional telepaths in the _Farisa Genut_." _Commander Elia Saumarez, yes. You can understand why she could not come herself. I believe she is still officially wanted as a rogue in Earth space?  
  
Absolutely yes. By the mundanes, not by us. Speaking of wanted people Commander, I would like to extend the apologies of the Psi Corps for… well...Bester. Black Sheep would be a good term to use for him. _“It is similar for most, yes. My specialty is somewhat different. Corporate counterintelligence, which puts me on the front lines when some mega-corp or another decides to use unregistered” _usually enslaved_ “telepaths for corporate espionage.”  
  
Meridina frowned over the verbal remark and the telepathic data added by Astrid. "Gersal does not have these 'megacorps' you speak of, but I have heard of them. That their activities require them to employ intelligence operatives is quite… disconcerting." _Bester did not harm us in the end, although he did provide rather an annoyance to our mission._  
  
“I sense an opportunity for cultural exchange. I can get you a copy of the works of a 20th century author by the name of Ayn Rand. Her writings on ‘ethics’ are taken to heart by many capitalists within the Earth Alliance. They steal each other’s work, try to illegally influence negotiations, whole nine yards.” _The fact that he tried matters. It wasn’t acceptable. But he’s family. I don’t know if you have racist uncles on Gersal but it’s a similar dynamic; complete with the rest of us having to clean up the mess._  
  
"That sort of behavior in Humanity is despairing," Meridina sighed. "It led to the fate of Humanity in my home universe. We are very grateful the legacy of the Darglan was found by worthier Humans." _Leonard once remarked on such beings. Older relatives with socially awkward beliefs and habits.  
  
It’s just like that, albeit they usually don’t have a power base or the ability to rip out someone’s personality. _Astrid’s mental expression was somewhat sheepish, even if it didn’t show on her face. “So are we, bluntly.” _Speaking for the Corps, not humanity in general in this universe._  
  
Meridina considered both remarks. _My people do not believe in using our telepathic talents in that fashion. It is…_ Meridina glyphed the rest of the information, using personal memory association with all of the lessons her mother Drentiya had taught her growing up, plus the way that Gersallians viewed the universe. To destroy another's mind or forcibly rewrite their personality was an act of darkness, a violation of another being's self. It was one thing to use her _swevyra_ \- the concept of such was integral to the glyph - to temporarily assert will over another being to convince them to do something small, like ignore her presence or lower a weapon, but that sort of permanent alteration… it was entirely outside of acceptable behavior. Even entering the mind of another was frowned upon.  
  
Astrid contemplated that, and nodded in understanding. _It's a grim necessity for us. Many of us will go our whole lives without having to do it, but… For us, telepathy is an active sense like touch. It can be used to create or destroy. In the name of better relations I’ll be honest with you. We’ve been fighting for our survival as a people for a hundred and fifty years. We’ve had to get our hands dirty. Some can do it and remain decent people. Some can’t._  
  
Meridina mentally nodded at that. _Such an act can be corruptive. It leads into darkness, in the understanding of my people._ She noticed that they were getting some attention, and that at any moment someone might interrupt. _The gardens of the station are quite expansive and easy to hide in, from what I recall of_ Babylon-5. _Will they suffice as a meeting place for you?  
  
Thank God you didn’t ask about Down Below… a mundane probably would have. I’ve been here before on business; they are lovely gardens and I know of a good spot. _Astrid glyphed a location in an out of the way place near the interface between Green and Red Sector.  
  
_The negotiation meeting will come first, but I will bring Elia aboard - in disguise - two hours after we adjourn.  
  
I’ll be there. Be careful about being tailed. There’s no guarantee this meeting is entirely on the level, and the negotiators might not know._  
  
Meridina smiled at that. _I was trained as a_ swevyra'se _, what your people might call a Knight of Life_. _I know when I am being followed_.  
  
_Hmm. From what I’ve heard Wizard might be better than Knight in some respects... But I trust your judgement._  
  
This was the final exchange they had before Meridina separated from Astrid, moving toward Julia and Lantze. "Minister, this is my First Officer Commander Meridina," Julia said.  
  
"Minister, a pleasure," Meridina said, bowing her head politely. _Contact has been made_ , Meridina directed into Julia's mind.  
  
_Good._  
  
  
  
  
With Julia and Meridina on the station, Jarod was left in command on the bridge for the rest of the watch period. He spent the quiet watch thinking on matters. Thoughts that had been in his head these past two days.  
  
As soon as Locarno arrived to relieve him, Jarod went to the lift. "Deck 4," he said initially. As the lift arrived at the halfway point he suddenly revised the order. "Deck 6." The lift immediately changed to its new destination. "Computer, is there a location on Commander Saumarez?"  
  
" _Commander Saumarez is in her assigned quarters,_ " answered the computer. It normally would not have shared such, but as the _Aurora_ Operations Officer Jarod was one of a few command officers with authorization for such location requests.  
  
Jarod quickly consulted his omnitool for the room Tra'dur assigned Elia. Finding it, he walked down the corridors of Deck 6 until he arrived at the appropriate guest quarters.  
  
When the door chimed, Elia pulled herself up. She refastened her uniform jacket, tightened it, adjusted the rank tabs and Mha’dorn pin, pulled her gloves on, quickly drew her hair back with a couple of clips, and presented herself at the door. “Commander Saumarez…” She said as the door swished open, only one minute after the chime sounded the first time, and shortly after the second. The end result of the small delay was her perfect presentation, as if she had been in a conference rather than private. “...Commander Jarod, greetings. What do you need?”  
  
"If you don't mind, I'd like to talk with you," he replied. His surface thoughts were still considering the similarities he was dwelling on, but he spoke them aloud regardless. "About some of the things you said during the conference on the _Huáscar_."  
  
“Come in and have a seat,” she answered after a moment, her eyes admitting her hesitation, but only for a moment.  
  
"Thank you," he said, following her in only after she was out of the doorway. Her quarters on the _Aurora_ were one of the nicer ones available, although Onaran had his team had taken up the best rooms already. Like all guest quarters they gave the sense of a hotel room; cozy, but the furnishings lacked the individual touch of a permanent resident. "I…" He stopped and sighed. "Well, even after the years I've spent with Julia and the others, I'm afraid my social skills are still occasionally lacking." In his thoughts he was clearly trying to think of a way to speak with her that wouldn't come across as patronizing her for Elia's obvious unease with the situation, both being pulled from her ship as it was still getting organized and feelings about her mission. For all of the related occupations he'd filled over his life since leaving the Centre…  
  
And then he figured out the best way to approach it. He put himself into Elia's shoes, aided by the time he'd spent living with Meridina, to communicate in a way a telepath might feel more at ease with. With no words that might work, he simply bared his thoughts as openly, yet as gently, as he could.  
  
“You don’t need to worry. I could understand your intent. But thank you for making it plain, Jarod.” Unlike Meridina, she abstained from answering telepathically. “On my Earth, you know, telepaths _never_ communicate with mundanes telepathically. It’s a trap to be accused of violating their rights. It would be a very hard barrier for me to do so with a mundane--something I’ve only overcome with the closest of my friends.” She looked wryly at him, and reached up to undo her hair with a sigh. “This Centre you’re thinking of. Why’d it do that to you?”  
  
"For money, power," Jarod replied. "They used my mind to invent new technologies or methods. To figure out secrets that they could use to blackmail or manipulate with. They didn't care about the morality of any of it either. I'm not sure how many lives they destroyed with the things I thought up while under their control." An old pain showed on his face. While he never doubted that serving on the _Aurora_ , with the Alliance, was helping to make up for the evil the Centre did with his gifts in ways beyond what he'd done while a fugitive, he sometimes found himself wondering if he could ever get away from the feeling of it never being enough. "They did this for thirty years. I've only been free for seven, eight years now. And when you described how the telepaths would get used without the Corps, well, I've spent the time since thinking about the Centre."  
  
“I can understand why. It’s essentially the same thing,” Elia answered. “You _do_ have the right of it. The Corps is like a medieval guild; it’s a home, a way of life--and also a collective bargaining mechanism. And, of course, it’s a monopoly that can get persnickety about its turf. But it does that because the alternative is the Centre. I’ve _read_ what one of the Senators have proposed in place of Crawford-Tokash. Irregular, random, involuntary deep scans by anonymous enforcement personnel to make sure you haven’t committed any crimes with your abilities.”  
  
Jarod shook his head at that. It wasn't hard to imagine how that system might get abused. "It's wrong," he agreed. "I'll admit I didn't see the Corps in the best light when I first learned about them. The reputation of your Psi Cops and Bloodhounds reminded me of…" He let the sentence trail off with thoughts. Of all of his close calls over the years with Miss Parker and her team of hunters, tracking him across the continent to drag him back to the Centre. "That seems to be our problem," he admitted. "The Corps has to protect telepaths while hunting the ones who run. It'd be easier if Earth had their own security agencies responsible for it."  
  
“Self-enforcement grew out of Crawford’s antebellum ideology. Psi-Cops are the Overseer slaves on the plantation in _his_ mind. To us, they’re heroes. They have the life expectancy of a medieval peasant, you know, Jarod. They burn themselves out trying to manage the contradictions. Bester’s the only old Psi-Cop I can even think of.”  
  
Bester's name carried a weight that Elia could easily see. He'd tried to carry off Robert and Meridina. Jarod said nothing more about that, since there was no point. Instead his mind quickly worked to consider the perspective of a Psi Cop. Without being made a telepath he could never actually pull a Pretend as a Psi Cop, but he could do so mentally. His mind took in the facts of their job, position, and circumstances just as he had many other occupations.  
  
It was not a pleasant one.  
  
The Psi Cops - "Metasensory Police" or MetaPol in actuality - were caught in the tension created when Earth turned them into the enforcement of the draconian laws against telepaths. He considered the cause of that tension. Forced to hunt your own people by the masters oppressing you both, holding back as much as possible so you don't kill them when they're fighting to do the same to you. Becoming a symbol of oppression and fear because of the laws your masters imposed, dealing with the same master class and having to put up with their own hate and fear of what you could do…  
  
Quickly Jarod understood how easy it was to fall into that trap. To become the mask and make it what you were; cold, ruthless, and relentless, not caring about whom you hurt so long as you caught your prey and enforced the law. Even if you still hated that law.  
  
Did that explain Bester? He'd survived this long for a reason, and the more Jarod let himself slip into the Pretend, the more he felt it the only way he could survive that long mentally. Become the mask. Lose your soul to it. Internalize all of the jealousy and fear of the mundanes who oppressed you and decide they were right to fear you, because you _are_ superior to them. You are the true next stop on the evolutionary road, and are destined to leave them behind. Nothing done to promote that end is wrong. Everything, _everything_ , is permissible as long as it advances the Cause.  
  
The things that sense of superiority could lead one to do, not just to the master class but to those of your own people who fail to measure up to their superiority…  
  
“I wouldn't recommend going further down that road, Jarod. It will do unpleasant things to your psyche even to contemplate. I am also sitting here mildly amazed, wondering if you actually _could_ Pretend a Psi-Cop by taking Dust. I don't recommend trying, but your own abilities might give you the control most Dust users lack.” She was quiet for a Moment as her words pulled Jarod out of his mental Pretend. “There's another aspect, too. Most work Psi-Cops do is sincerely to protect people. They're the only telepaths who can fight back against Mundanes. They protect us from Mundanes--that's why they're heroes. Imagine the peril of being both saviour and enforcer. It makes the complex worse.”  
  
A shiver went through Jarod at the thought. That much tension between roles? He felt worried that she was right, that if he delved back into the Pretend with that idea, it would be damaging. "It wouldn't be the first time my psyche's been through the wringer from a bad Pretend," he confessed. "And every P12 is expected to become a Psi Cop?"  
  
“To try. You can wash out into something else,” Elia answered. “I _should_ have been a bloodhound myself--such an ineffably demeaning term, I’m not a dog, my biological family _bred_ dogs, but not me--but the rating assessment fell more or less right on the boundary between P9/P10. To try and minimise the stigma of the classifications, the slash and the second rating get put in your personnel file when you’re a case like that. Our society has become hierarchal in ways we _try_ to avoid from cementing into a caste system. But the mundanes would like it if we developed a caste system. At any rate, I was sent to Military, instead. My classmates sent me their sympathy, but I stiffened up my gut and resolved to be the best I could. Anything else would let the family down, you know. I wasn’t afraid of war, I read Aubrey-Maturin and Hornblower growing up.”  
  
A thin smile touched her lips. “My biological family, by the way, did things the very tidy English way. When they found out I had the telepath genes and was showing signs of a young childhood manifest, they tidily went to court, had legal custody formally transferred to Psi-Corps, had the driver and the family huntsman--he said to the Psi-Corps nurse who took custody that the nursemaid had refused to be near me when she found out, so being a family man he volunteered--take me to Geneva. Very few new telepaths arrive in a Bentley in a cradle. The transfer of custody included a twenty million pound investment account under a very quiet old London firm--Telepaths can’t own stocks, but a _Trust_ for a telepath can--with instructions that I was to be disbursed after age twenty-one up to a million pounds a year on the sole condition I never contact my birth family for any reason whatsoever. And they didn’t try to take my family name from me, so I’m a Saumarez. The rest was really rather boring until Tira, except for all the cricket championship trophies. I am an extremely lucky woman.”  
  
Jarod had knowledge of how the English upper classes worked. Undoubtedly her family considered that the best way to balance their status with the needs of one of their own, though for him it struck a nerve. "Your biological family gave you up," he said. "I was stolen from mine. The difference between us, if I understand the culture correctly, is that you found a replacement family. I…" He almost said he didn't, but he stopped. It wasn't quite true. For most of his life Sydney was his only family, or at least the closest he had to family, to a father. Even if Sydney was only meant to be Jarod's handler for the Centre, had indeed tried to stop Jarod from seeing him as a father, a bond had formed between them that still existed. And there had been Kyle, his brother, though they hadn't learned that until they were adults, long after the Centre separated them. "...well, I made do as best as I could," he finally admitted.  
  
“I’m sorry. You were treated basely, you lacked that connection, because you … Were denied any association with others like yourself. Psi-Corps became more than a government agency precisely because it was that association. It was the only association. It’s not that Captain Andreys is _wrong_ … Originally, in what Crawford _intended._ It’s that we were not powerless to change our own destinies, and we have been altering them ever since. Surely you understand? I think you do.”  
  
To that Jarod nodded. "I do. And I'm not sure you might have done any better in the circumstances. It's the matter of choice that's been at issue between the Corps and the Alliance. Given time and a chance to understand the situation, well, I suppose that's a might-have-been now." He sighed. "I can see that from the reports. So I'm going to try to help you with the others. They understand what I went through. They gave me a home when I never thought I'd have one. I'm sure I can get them to understand." Left unsaid was Jarod's sentiment, one Elia could see. That even if it had limited his choices as much as her's had been limited, even if it meant being a second class citizen…  
  
...well, he loved Sydney as a father figure, and he didn't regret a moment of his time with Julia and Robert and the others, but from the eyes of the boy he'd been, the boy taken from his family and made into a corporate tool... why wouldn't he have wanted a family of people just as intelligent as he was? Brothers and sisters like Kyle, but without a diabolical Mr. Raines to split them up and break Kyle as a person? People that could have protected him from the Centre.  
  
“I’m glad you’ve finally found a family, Jarod,” Elia said very softly. “And thank you for trying to understand mine. Here, with my career, my civil rights, by loyalty to Dilgar and Union and the Alliance principles, what’s left in Psi-Corps for me is simple: It’s my family.”  
  
Jarod nodded in understanding. "And you do what you have to when it comes to protecting family."  
  
  
  
  
After the reception, everyone moved on to one of the station's conference lounges. The table was long enough to accommodate both teams, one per side. Onaran and Lantze sat in the middle chairs facing each other. Julia and Ivanova were two seats to the right of their respective team leads, although this meant neither faced the other. Meridina and Astrid were on the far ends of the table, allowing either to act to protect their people from telepathic attack while giving them an open view of all participants. Meridina, upon taking her seat, felt annoyance at the unrelenting paranoia coming from most of Lantze's subordinates over the presence of three telepaths.  
  
"Now that we are set to begin, I will state the Alliance's goals for these talks, Minister Lantze," Onaran said pleasantly. The Dorei man set his hands, the skin on them the same rich ocean blue as his face, on the table. "It is the position of the United Alliance of Systems that the issue at hand is a result of the Earth Alliance's repressive laws against your telepath minority. These laws inspire telepaths to turn to violent means to resist them and that has led to these unfortunate incidents. While we recognize that insisting on the repeal of said laws would be interpreted as an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Earth Alliance, we do urge you to consider that course. At the very least, a repeal of the statutes banning legal emigration of telepaths to other jurisdictions should be considered, and the Alliance is willing to provide assistance and concessions to create such a legal avenue for the dissenting members of the telepath population. This would reduce dependence upon sleepers and eliminate a major source of strife in the telepath community."  
  
Julia noticed that with the exception of Deng Jiang, identified as the Earth team's intelligence advisor, the response was quite negative. Lantze seemed not so much negative as resigned. She wondered if he held similar views, or at least believed it a reasonable idea, but was forced by his government to dismiss the idea.  
  
"And these are the totality of your views, Mister Secretary?" Lantze asked. "What of the Free Colony itself?"  
  
"The Free Colony concurs with the views of the Allied Systems on the matter of emigration, and the root of the problem involving terrorists." Travada ignored the woman across from him - an Earth Alliance Security vice-director named Bethany Taggart - rolling her eyes at him. Just as he ignored the surface thought of _Why did I have to sit across from the mindfreak?_  
  
"You misunderstand me, sir," Lantze said. "I was not speaking of your position, Minister Travada. I was requesting the Alliance's position on the Free Colony."  
  
Onaran folded his hands on the table. "The Free Colony is considered a free, affiliated state of the Allied Systems, regardless of their current small size. We also consider them a legitimate expression of national aspiration for the E5B1 Human Telepath population."  
  
Meridina marveled at the raw, seething anger that rippled on the other side, save in Minister Lantze himself, Captain Ivanova, and Deng Jiang. She glanced toward Astrid whose outward expression didn’t change, but Meridina felt her take notice of the use of “a” instead of “the”.  
  
"I see," said Lantze. "Very well. And the matter of Darglan space?"  
  
"It was what law regards as _spatium nullius_ when the Alliance arrived in this universe," Onaran stated. "We laid claim to it in a fashion consistent with known practices of interstellar law, including that of your own universe."  
  
Lantze jotted a note down and nodded. "I see. Thank you, Mister Secretary."  
  
"And you, Mister Lantze?" Onaran kept his eyes on the Earth official. "What is Earth's positions on these matters?"  
  
Julia could tell this was not going to go well when Lantze drew in a breath and glanced again to the rest of his team. "For one thing, we do concur on the matter of our laws. The Earth Alliance will not and cannot tolerate any power attempting to intervene in our domestic institutions, including the Crawford-Tokash Act and all related laws regulating telepaths. On that subject there will be no negotiation. The laws will not be changed on the word of an alien power."  
  
Ivanova breathed out a little sigh. Deng Jiang's expression twitched slightly, showing displeasure. Astrid remained tightly controlled and absolutely stone-faced, but Julia thought she caught a twitch from her right thumb like she was suppressing an angry fist.  
  
"And there is no chance of negotiation to persuade you?"  
  
"I am afraid not, Mister Secretary," Lantze said. "EarthGov's instructions are quite clear. There will be no negotiation on our internal affairs." After Onaran merely nodded in understanding of the point, Lantze continued. "It is the position of the Earth Alliance that the United Alliance of Systems must bear at least a share of responsibility for the terrorist violence against Earth agencies. especially the Psi Corps. Your reckless support of a colony of rogue telepaths provides expectation of assistance in their radical agenda, whatever protests you issue to the contrary, and the Free Colony itself is suspected of providing aid to the Underground in these attacks. We insist and indeed expect that the Allied Systems immediately revoke its agreements with the Colony, dissolve its independent charter, and begin extradition to Earth of its leadership and all individuals listed by Earth security agencies as known terrorist sympathizers." Given the looks from the others, it was obvious that included Travada. Lantze kept attention as he pressed on. "Indeed, it is Earth's sincerest hope that the Allied Systems will do the responsible thing to restore peace to our society by immediately repatriating to Earth all telepaths born in the Earth Alliance or to parents from the Earth Alliance. By such an action you would prove your strong friendship to Earth and deal a blow to the outlandish desires of the Underground."  
  
As he spoke those words, Julia found them lacking. Not just in reasonability but in passion. They were not being delivered by a man who believed in them. It was not just that Lantze did not believe this term attainable; it was that he personally had no desire to even ask it. He was speaking with the voice or voices of others, not his own.  
  
"And you have no leeway for negotiation on this matter either?" asked Onaran calmly. Beside him Travada remained calm, but it hid great apprehension, Meridina felt.  
  
"There is some," Lantze admitted. "But I must be blunt on these matters, Mister Secretary. EarthGov cannot and will not permit the repeal of any of the laws regarding telepaths, nor can we tolerate attempts to undermine them. They are for the safety and security of the non-telepath majority and for all of Earth."  
  
Julia forced herself not to snort. _Because if you give them the chance, you're worried all of the telepaths will run for somewhere they won't be treated like crap, and then how would you deal with those scary_ alien _telepaths?  
  
They’re also concerned we might run with any political or personal freedoms we attain and use them to take over their government, and avenge ourselves upon them for a century and a half of oppression and death. _ Astrid sent to Meridina. _Feel free to share that with Captain Andreys.  
She isn’t wrong._ Travada concurred.   
  
Meridina glyphed an acknowledgement, but did not pass the information on just yet. Lantze was resuming.  
  
"As a consequence of this, neither can we accept the continued existence of the Free Colony. Especially not as it is currently constituted," said Lantze. "I can negotiate particulars and specific details, but the Free Colony's ability to rally support against EarthGov and its policies must be removed."  
  
"We are a free and independent people," Travada insisted. "And we will not be chased from our new homes or _ethnically cleansed_ from territory that isn’t even yours."  
  
"You're a bunch of terrorists and rogues and the fact you're allowed to sit here is a sick joke," Taggart retorted in a Scots brogue. Travada would have responded but Onaran cut him off before he could.  
  
"If your subordinate cannot behave with proper respect toward the representative of one of our affiliates, then she has no place at this table," Onaran said to Lantze.  
  
Lantze gave Taggart a hard look. She said nothing. Finally he sighed and said, "On behalf of my subordinate and EarthGov, I apologize for the outburst. It was unbecoming."  
  
The fact Lantze couldn't compel his lieutenant to apologize herself spoke volumes to Julia. _He's not really in control. The way it looks, Earth's not even really interested in an agreement. They're here to posture._  
  
"As for the issue of Darglan space, Earth renews her protest at the Allied Systems' unilateral annexation of such a large area of space so near to Earth's frontiers," Lantze said. "Particularly the refusal of the Allied Systems to permit innocent xenoarchaeological expeditions onto former Darglan worlds."  
  
_Translation: We won't let IPX loot the Darglan worlds bare_ , Julia thought at Meridina. Meridina flashed a small smile her way in reply.  
  
"We have reasons for restricting such activity," Tanapa remarked. "Among them being that some of those involved in it once shot down a Ranger vessel over their so-called 'archaeological' efforts."  
  
"Anyone might have performed that deed," said Mr. Thomas, the man between Deng Jiang and Lantze. The same who, earlier, had compelled Lantze to attempt to bar Travada from the table. "Just as anyone might have been behind the attack on an IPX ship two years ago. The _Pedicarus_ was raided in the Venir star system. People died."  
  
Julia said nothing but thought, _Given Bester knew, what's his game?_  
  
"So Earth will continue to demand access to Darglan space?" Onaran asked.  
  
"We must, yes," Lantze replied.  
  
Onaran seemed to consider that for a moment. "I am sorry, Minister Lantze, but this does not feel like a negotiation," he finally said. "You appear to have nothing but demands. I came here to find middle ground, not permit posturing for Earth's media. I am willing to negotiate a number of points, including providing security relating to the Telepath Underground attempting to use Alliance space as a base. But under no conditions will we betray the Free Colony."  
  
Lantze sighed and nodded. "I understand, Mister Secretary. Perhaps if we were to discuss further the needs of our governments, a solution will reveal itself."  
  
Julia's only mental response to that was her growing skepticism that they would get anything done. _Which makes the meeting you're setting up all the more important, Meridina_.  
  
_Noted_ , was the wry mental reply.  
  
  
  
  
By the time the first round of talks ended in utter stalemate, Elia was ready, with dyed hair and false contacts to change her visible eye color. She would be masquerading as another Alliance officer, complete with an authentic ID attached to her fake name - courtesy of Jarod - to get through station customs.  
  
More importantly, at least to her sensibilities, was the need to leave her hands bare.  
  
Meridina picked up on that when they met in Transporter Station Two. She had swapped out her dress uniform for a standard one, which was far less likely to draw attention. To avoid issues with the station's regulations on personal weapons Meridina had tucked her lightsaber into her uniform jacket where it was unlikely to trigger the sensors. Wordlessly the two women stepped onto the pad and allowed the Alakin transporter operator to send them over.  
  
The transporter deposited them in the section of the customs entry area. While the station had not been built with the technology in mind, the growing use of it ensured that station operations adjusted, with areas set aside for incoming transports while the rest of the station was protected by an anti-beaming field to prevent unauthorized transporting.  
  
Without a word Meridina and the disguised Elia joined the line of new arrivals to pass through station customs. To the normal passerby they seemed like naval officers taking a shore leave who just happened to disembark together. Elia went first through security. A female Narn processed her real-yet-fake ID and made the usual queries. Within twenty seconds she was through.   
  
Meridina followed through the line behind her, repeating the process. By the time she was through, Elia was already entering the station proper. Meridina followed from a slight distance, casting her glance around to take in the varied species milling about the station. A Gl'mulli slipped around her. To the side, a visiting Turian was disputing something with an Alakin, forcing a party of visiting Yolu to walk around them.  
  
A group of Pak'ma'ra briefly obscured Meridina's sight of Elia. Meridina let the visual contact be broken; she still sensed Elia's presence through the Flow of Life, and she used that to follow Elia into the heart of the space station.


	3. Chapter 3

The gardens in Babylon 5’s central shaft were absolutely vast and easy to get lost in, but they were also safe and it was relatively easy to find a quiet bench out of the way and out of line of sight of any recording equipment or human eyes. Elia found Astrid in one of those gardens next to a grove of coffee trees that had to be illicit given their water requirements, sitting on a bench, still wearing her badge and gloves.  
  
Astrid looked toward the apparent stranger looking a bit startled “Hello! I’m sorry, I came here to get away from everything. So many minds on this station, they’re hard to block out. I can find somewhere else to sit if you like.” she said, sounding a bit sheepish.  
  
_The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father. Commander Saumarez…Sister. It’s good to see you doing so well. Sit, please. We have a great deal to discuss, I suspect._  
  
“It’s fine. I can trust you to be quiet, and I like the sound of silence myself,” Elia answered after a moment. < _Dye job, fake ID that isn’t fake because a real Alliance ID machine made it, a little misdirection at the port of entry, and the absolutely revolting feeling of wandering around naked, but I’m here. > _  
  
“Excellent” Astrid replied “This spot really does have a lovely view. It’s surprising, but I suppose it shouldn’t be. This garden is vast enough to generate weather. The station uses it for water reclamation” _< I know the feeling. I’ve had to do those ops before. The only reason I didn’t this time is that my cover requires my being known to be on the station. Of course, I’m only nominally with Commercial division these days.> _  
  
“It’s quite amazing,” Elia agreed pleasantly. But even her full response to that, she kept to a more comfortable mode of communication. < _I’ve heard there are universes like the one with the Symbiotic Amazons that actually went and built full-sized O’Neil cylinders, which is just amazing. Babylon 5 is close enough for EarthGov work, though, let’s be honest. And yes, I understand. >_  
  
“Not sure who these coffee plants belong to though. They’re not tagged…” Astrid did actually indicate for the benefit of anyone watching that this particular set of plants was indeed illegal. _< Transport division Intelligence. Ever since Omega VII was evacuated.>_  
  
“Someone has a really nice stash of coffee, then. Of course, we have replicators on Alliance ships, but many people insist it isn’t the same thing.” < _Transport division intelligence. So you’re working for the fleet we encountered. Got it. All right, you’re going to love this. They sent me here to contact you._ >  
  
“Oh yeah, someone’s taken good care of them too. They’re so lovingly trimmed.” _< Oh God, it’s an espionage comedy.> _Astrid grinned inside her head _< I take it the Union kept Mha’dorn contact with the Corps compartmentalized for opsec purposes? In fairness, we only recently found out about that ourselves. Metapol plays things close to the chest. They have to. Loose neurons and all that, and they’re being observed.>  
  
<I admit, I always preferred the capers to the outright comedies. Someday there will be a movie night and I will break out my copy of _Night Train to Munich. _But yes, the Union understands very precisely that sometimes our political objectives and the Alliance’s are not in lockstep. Sync, yes, but not lockstep. >_  
  
Astrid got a disquieted look on her face and in her mind at Elia’s use of the concept ‘our’. _< Elia, no matter what, you’re still our sister. As far as we’re concerned, you’ve never left the Corps. I’ve been authorized to pass information on the current sociopolitical situation to the Alliance, but I can pass along military information to the Mha’dorn.> _by which she meant Elia _ <From there, we trust the Mha’dorn to put it in the right hands at the right time.> _  
  
< _Then any military matters we discuss are for War Captain Era’jhi’s mind only. > _She had caught the look, the feel from Astrid. < _Astrid, I’ve gestalted with Dilgar without going insane. When I say Our, I really mean the Mha’dorn. > _  
  
Astrid smiled faintly, and shook her head, not in denial, but the strangeness of everything. “The lengths people will go to for a good light roast I suppose, especially when their other options are probably institutional swill. If you ask me, our brave men and women in Earth Force deserve better.” _< That is agreeable. And I assumed such was the case, it’s just odd to p’hear you speak that way. There’s nothing for it, though. The damned charter saw to that. Transport is slightly annoyed that the Mha’dorn poached you, by the way. Not that we hold it against or blame them, given the circumstances. That they’ve done right by you speaks volumes.>_  
  
“Considering military life flows straight out of coffee, I’m surprised there aren’t mutinies.” A cheery, but soft laugh. < _When I break a mundane rule, I like to turn it into confetti. In all seriousness, thank you. The Mha’dorn connection was … Unexpected, but not unwelcome. They’re probably the closest alien telepath org to us that exists. >_  
  
“Shh! Don’t say the word! This station has already declared independence once, one more time and underwriters will start putting Babylon 5 exclusions into insurance policies.” Astrid laughed both internally and externally. One for show at her own joke, the other genuinely regarding confetti. _< You’re welcome. I imagine the whole thing was rather unexpected. Some might disagree with me, but I’m glad to have the Dilgar around again. No species should be consigned to oblivion like that. And they were always… more like humans than most would be comfortable admitting. It makes sense that their telepaths would be similar.>_  
  
< _And they are. And Jha’dur of all people arranged evacuation transports to favour Mha’dorn, so they’re an order of magnitude more common in Dilgar than we are in humans._ > She paused for a moment. < _That’ll probably scare some Mundanes later, but they scare easy. >   
  
<Hmm, then it’s just a matter of what scares the mundanes more. Dilgar telepaths, or human telepaths crewing the _PCS Sandoval Bey _> _ Astrid glyphed Elia an image of a nearly-completed Warlock-class Dreadnought being built in a reclaimed Markab shipyard.  
  
< _...I’m going with the_ Sandoval Bey _. I think the only Dilgar trump card is a redhead with a rap sheet longer than an Administration accident report form. >_  
  
Astrid’s mind went from ‘Mother of God’ at Administration’s accident report forms to a mental exclamation mark when she put two and two together and came up with five because _She_ was supposed to be very dead. _< You don’t mean…?>  
  
<Look how effective that is. I mean you could have directly seen that I was just making a joke in admitting the _Sandoval Bey _is scary awesome. But the psychosocial history of Jha’dur is like no other. She’s dead. They’re not hiding her. Shai’jhur’s too sincere about democracy. She has at least six living relatives, though, and I think they’re closer relations than anyone lets on. Probably for the best to keep that one quiet, though. > _  
  
Astrid kept her external expression completely passive as she visibly contemplated the artificial clouds being sucked through a negative pressure system at both ends of the garden, kilometers away. Inwardly, she laughed. _< You had me pretty good there, I should have gotten that. I figure she just cheated death and retired to private life or something, I don’t think the Varm-the Clan of Var would be… a thing, if she was the secret head of state or if Shai’jhur were insincere. Also, that little secret is safe with me. Jha’dur was completely mad, but her relatives don’t deserve the fallout from that.>  
  
<I appreciate that. But we should probably get to business, under different circumstances I wouldn’t mind just spending the day with you but the longer we stay here the longer we risk being discovered. What have you got?>_ Elia asked.  
  
Astrid sighed, externally it was more of a wistful relaxed thing. Internally it was frustrated and sad; even angry. Not at Elia, but at the situation in Earth Alliance space. _< In this datacrystal, you’ll find what I can share with the Alliance. As for the rest, drop your blocks and touch my wrist.>_ Astrid told her, and changed the position of her arm just enough to expose a strip of skin that wasn’t covered by clothing.  
  
Elia took the datacrystal, but hesitated. She felt naked and vulnerable enough without her gloves, let alone touching someone else with naked hands, even if just a finger. On the other hand, skin-to-skin contact was also secure from interception and eavesdropping. She did it, reluctantly, but she did it. Information swam into her mind, some direct experiential memories, some in the form of reports of operational readiness figures she could recall and reproduce, contacts within the Transport fleet, even strategic contingency scenarios.  
  
_< That,> _Elia remarked _< is a lot of trust.>  
  
<We’re family. Plus our best profiler cleared it, we’re not running on rainbows and hope here.> _Astrid remarked with a twitch of a smirk and a shrug glyphed into Elia’s mind. _< The blunt reality is, we have to trust someone or we’re fucked. Our entire strategy for the last century has been playing the long game to overcome the numerical disadvantage. The Earth-Minbari War proved we needed to pick up the pace, but the aftermath of both recent wars and whatever the hell the Vorlons did to Lyta is going to force our hand before we’re really ready. Without help, it’s going to be a bloodbath.> _  
  
Elia took that in soberly, and maintaining her composure and wishing she had a cup of tea. She tried not to dwell on the quiet desperation her family must be feeling but she could see it in her mind. Telepaths getting up and doing their jobs every day despite not knowing if that would be the day their world imploded, House-Parents in the cadres doing their level best to make sure their charges didn’t know that the evacuation drill might be more than a drill the next time. _< Alright, I’ll make sure this gets to the right people, and I’ll keep in touch.>  
  
<Thank you.> _Astrid replied, and without changing her outward expression in the slightest gently knocked on the door of Elia’s mind. Elia knew Astrid was asking if she needed a hug. In answer, all she did was drop her blocks and let Astrid in, filling her mind with warmth and stimulating her nervous system so she could feel the other woman’s embrace without ever needing to physically touch. For just a moment her frustration and anger vanished, replaced by a filial love that was unconditional and hers, just for the asking. Elia sensed that Astrid had to hold her tongue dealing with Captain Ivanova earlier that day. If Zhen’var’s experiences with her were any indication, it must have been immensely frustrating; so Elia took that affection and reflected it back, feeling the tension and weariness in Astrid’s own mind and soul slacken and ease.  
  
When it was over, Astrid stood up and spoke verbally. “It’s been nice sharing a bench with you, but I have work to get back to. Be well.” Then she disappeared into Babylon 5’s sprawling gardens.  
  
  
  
  
Not very far from where they were, beside the Zen garden of B5, a simple structure rose the equivalent of four stories. At the top one could look out at the station and take in the view of its expansive interior. With a five mile length, the inside allowed for numerous structures, not to mention the garden around them, and even some farmland to give the station some capacity to grow its own food.  
  
Julia looked over the sight and drew in a little sigh. She wanted to enjoy the view, as she had two years before. But she found she couldn't. For one thing, the negotiations were not looking good. It was clear Earth had no intention of amicable compromise. They were calculating that the Alliance, war-weary and facing the Dominion threat, would bend to their demands to keep the peace in E5B1.  
  
It was more than that, though. The last time she was here, she'd been with someone, a comrade and a friend. Someone who'd saved the lives of the people she loved and would do so again and again. Even now Julia could imagine Jen Shepard standing beside her, in the uniform of the Systems Alliance, red hair brushed into place and green eyes staring out at the station. It was a memory, and that was all she'd have of the woman who became the M4P2 galaxy's first Human Spectre operative and saved them all from the Reapers.  
  
Julia felt tears go down her cheeks as she thought about the loss of Shepard in the Traverse the prior month. Shepard had died as she lived, saving the people who were trusting her with their lives. There'd been no sign of the unknown attackers when the _Koenig_ arrived, responding to the _Normandy_ 's distress signal. Just the remains of the ship plunging into the atmosphere of the planet below and a collection of escape pods with the survivors of the _Normandy_ crew aboard. Even Shepard herself was gone, her body reportedly drifting into re-entry.  
  
_I swear, if we ever find out who attacked the_ Normandy, _we'll…_  
  
"Captain."  
  
Julia turned toward the staircase, where Captain Lochley was now standing in Earthforce uniform. An older woman, with brown hair and a dusky complexion, Lochley kept the look of a model officer. She was entering the final quarter of her third year as B5's commanding officer. "Captain," she replied.  
  
"Congratulations on the promotion. Although I know I'm long overdue." Lochley approached her with even steps. Julia knew Lochley had to notice the tears flowing down her face, but Lochley said nothing on them. "How are the negotiations going?"  
  
"Terribly," Julia replied. "Your government and ours… we don't see eye to eye, you might say."  
  
Lochley sighed and nodded. "I was afraid of that. Given the attack on Mars and the other attacks Lyta's people have launched, people are angry. They won't let Luchenko come to an agreement easily."  
  
"We just finished one war, we don't want another. But EarthGov could end up pushing us into one," Julia said. "Their terms are completely unacceptable."  
  
"Just between you and me? I agree. Someone is playing politics back at EarthDome." Lochley peered out at the interior of the station she commanded. "The Free Colony is a done deal and your people will never remove it. And I don't think you should. The telepath situation would be a lot more peaceful if they had somewhere to go."  
  
"You dealt with Byron, didn't you?" Julia asked.  
  
Lochley frowned at the name. "More like I had to clean up after him. He was… well, if you ask me, it's a little insulting that the Free Colony is named for him. He doesn't deserve it. He was little better than a cult leader. He played the pacifist martyr well enough, though. We still get people leaving flowers at the blast site. Sometimes more than flowers."  
  
Julia shook her head. "He's a symbol, I suppose. For telepaths who don't want to be in the Corps." After a moment's pause she asked, "What do you think about them?"  
  
"Who? The Psi Corps?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Lochley considered the question. "I think they've got a raw deal, but I would be lying if I claimed they didn't scare the hell out of me sometimes. Normals put them in the Corps, but they've made it something we didn't expect. Given what telepaths can do, it can be frightening to think about it."  
  
"That they might want revenge?"  
  
Lochley nodded. "And maybe they deserve it. In the end, the best thing might be to give them a homeworld of their own outside of Earthspace. Let them build their own society."  
  
"But telepaths are still being born in your population, right? What would happen to the newborn telepaths if your current population left?'  
  
Lochley had no answer to that. And she said so. "I'm not sure. Maybe we would start over again. Find a different way to balance the rights of telepaths with the rights of normals."  
  
"Or maybe you'd treat them even worse."  
  
"Maybe. I just know we need to find a solution. The Multiverse made it impossible to keep the status quo." Lochley's eyes focused on Julia's face. "Thinking of Shepard?"  
  
Julia nodded. "The last time I was up here, she came too."  
  
"And I gave you both a tour of the station," Lochley said. She nodded. "Commander Shepard was an impressive woman, a real hero. They don't make many like her. She'll be missed."  
  
"We still don't know who attacked her ship," Julia said. "If we ever find out, I hope the _Aurora_ is there to put them down."  
  
"If I were in your place, Captain, I'd feel the same way," Lochley admitted. "And…"  
  
Before she could finish her link - placed on the back of her right hand - beeped. She tapped the device. "Lochley here."  
  
" _Captain, Ms. Connolly just called. That meeting with the Dockworkers' Guild needs to be moved up and she'd like to see you immediately._ "  
  
Julia watched Lochley breathe out a sigh. "Tell her I'll be there shortly." After lowering her hand Lochley showed a moment of exasperation. "Running this place can be a pain sometimes," she admitted to Julia.  
  
"But it's worth it?"  
  
Lochley looked back toward the sight around them. A twinkle formed in her eyes. "Yeah, it is," she admitted. "I'll see you around, Captain."  
  
"See you around, Captain," Julia replied.  
  
  
  
  
Given his rank, it was no surprise Secretary Onaran had the largest guest suite on Deck 6. It was an interior suite without any viewing windows and was the largest individual suite on the ship - even Julia's quarters were about twenty square meters smaller. Intended for diplomatic visitors as well as for people of Onaran's rank, the suite was as luxurious as it could get on a starship that was not a dedicated starliner or yacht. Elia could imagine Earthforce officers burning with envy at the thought of it on an Earthforce ship (and then defensively scoffing at the Alliance wasting the valuable volume).  
  
Seated at the work desk of the suite, Onaran himself was out of his formal suit and in more casual business wear, a full-sleeved vest and shirt of green and cyan with leggings of dark red. His teal hair, pale in color, was still in its formal braid. A glass of fine Daxai brandy - made of fermented _seemai_ \- was to his side, as well as a digital reader. He looked slightly worn and even with what both considered an alien mind, Elia and Meridina sensed his frustration and his concerns. "The meeting went well?"  
  
“It did.” Elia replied neutrally. “Is this room secure?” She asked. She knew Alliance security protocols, but it was a due-diligence matter that she didn’t think should ever be overlooked, particularly with high-stakes.  
  
"Commander Richmond was quite thorough," Meridina assured Elia. "And since we cannot dock to _Babylon-5_ , there is much a reduced risk of an intruder being aboard."  
  
“Good.” Elia replied tightly. “My contact provided me with a data crystal. I’ve had some time to digest the contents and I can give you an executive summary if you wish.” Elia set the crystal down on Onaran’s desk.  
  
Onaran took it and considered the crystal. It was not unlike some of the data storage mediums used in Dorei space, and he had an adapter to plug the crystal into his secured workstation was it was. He did so and nodded to Elia. "Please, do so, Commander."  
  
“To be blunt Mr. Secretary, the sociopolitical situation the Psi Corps finds itself in is getting desperate. Many colonies are using the rights they won at the end of the Civil War to eject the Corps, and many are not bothering to put an alternative system in place while maintaining Crawford-Tokash. The net result are telepaths cast out from their families or expelled from school with nowhere to go. They’re not being trained and inevitably are either perceived to or accidentally do scan mundanes, leading to increased anti-telepath violence. They also become incredibly vulnerable to slavers.”  
  
Elia managed to keep her tone neutral, betraying nothing of the white-hot anger building inside her just speaking about it. “There is also an unknown group taking over that slave trade. They seem to have an insatiable demand and the prices are commensurate. It’s gotten to the point that even Psi Corps membership is no defense, and telepaths in the Corps are being kidnapped off the streets in some of the less-secure colonies. Extensive collaboration with the local governments and even Earth Force is suspected in either case.” Elia waited a moment for questions and to let that sink in. She had to clasp her hands behind her back to stop them from shaking.  
  
Onaran listened quietly, but there was a clear hardening to his expression as Elia went on. Especially on the issue of a slave trade. When she was done he quietly took a drink and held up a glass. "Would you like some, Commander?" he asked simply.  
  
“Just a small one Mr. Secretary.” It would be rude to refuse such hospitality, and she did desperately need one. If not tea, then a small amount of alcohol.  
  
Onaran nodded and poured a small amount into the second glass before presenting it to her. As Elia took the glass he asked, in a low voice, "How much do you know about the history of my species, Commander?"  
  
“There are a great many species, Mr. Secretary, I’ve spent most of my time acquainting myself with the Dilgar.”  
  
Onaran nodded. "You can look up the finer details later. To put it bluntly, my people were once as divided as most Earths have been. When we formed our first planetary government, it was a century after our first contact with an alien species. The Gersallians were good neighbors. The Jeaxians… were _not_." His purple eyes glistened. "In those days the Coserian Empire was at its height, and the Jeaxians were loyal followers. They saw our people as slaves to be acquired and often raided our first colonies. Even Doreia itself. They were the ones who made the vicious old autocrats of the Sindai continent willing to plunge our world into war to shatter our global federation, all so they could weaken us and turn more of our people into slaves. The Gersallians stood with us, however, and ultimately the power of those terrible old monarchs was broken, our people unified, and the Jeaxians and their masters pushed back. Today the Coserians are a declining empire, more interested in fighting over what they have left than trying to expand. And the Jeaxians… well, they still raid for slaves, but they attack weaker species only. As for my people?" The hard look intensified. "Many believe we only joined the Allied Systems because the Gersallians did. This has some justice. But we saw something in the Alliance proposal, and in the character of those making it. Even the most profit-seeking merchant of Daxai hates slavery to the core of their soul, Commander. The Alliance is built to stand against that evil. So let me assure you, whatever difficulties may arise with Earth or the Psi Corps, these slavers will not be tolerated. We will do whatever is in our power to smash them and bring them to justice."  
  
“Thank you for that, Mr. Secretary.” Elia replied. She did believe him, he hated slavery with a passion and so did the rest of the Alliance. “There is, I am afraid, more. Concerning the Earth Alliance itself. I suspect it will be somewhat telling to you.”  
  
"There is little I expect from EarthDome. Nothing truly constructive, as it is." Onaran frowned. With a tap of a key at his workstation he activated the crystal's contents. "I will relay this information to the President. Much will have to be decided." Seeing that Elia was finished, Onaran stated, "I have nothing further to ask of you right now, Commander. I have a meeting with Minister Travada and Captain Andreys in three hours. I would like to see you there."  
  
“I will be Mr. Secretary. In the interim, I think I’ll get some rack-time. Or perhaps some tea. The day has been… trying, and promises to continue as such.”  
  
Meridina departed with Elia. Her own quarters were on the same deck, in the next section over, a walk of several moments. As they turned into a cross-section corridor that curved through the deck, Meridina gently glyphed her recognition of Elia's deepening sense of despair.  
  
Elia tried to keep it hidden, away, but she needed to talk to someone, even for just a moment. Everything about this mission was wrong, that the Alliance was even considering some sort of agreement with EarthGov was ridiculous to her. _They’re my family, Commander. All twelve million._ She glyphed Meridina a flash of growing up communally in a cadre, children playing under the watchful eyes of a kindly older woman.  
  
Meridina considered what she saw. It was not entirely unlike Gersallian child-raising. _My parents secured an arcology home in Jantarihal when my mother was carrying me. While I lived with my biological family there, child care was a communal duty for all residents of the arcology, and we often spent time in the arcology's child care section._ Meridina glyphed memories of such, first as a young child, then as she grew older becoming more responsible for her younger neighbors and siblings, all until the day she left to become an initiate at the Great Temple and develop her talents.  
  
_Communal child-care is where the similarity ends. EarthGov mandated that the state by way of the Psi Corps have legal and physical custody of our children. We made it ours. For us, the whole Corps is family. Literally._  
  
Meridina nodded in understanding. _I can sense that in your feelings. The way that_ farisa _are treated in the Humanity of this Earth is depraved. With you, I can see why our efforts to persuade telepaths to come to Gersal have not been as successful as we believed they would be. Your bonds to one another, the strength of your community despite the oppressive elements, we had little idea of such. Some of it is undoubtedly my people allowing our certainty as to our ways to become arrogance. I am… unhappily familiar with how our people can be led astray by that certainty._ Meridina smiled thinly. _I admit I myself wanted to try and convince you to join us at Tira. It was not to be, and that is a good thing.  
  
You’ve seen what Nazis do to ‘_untermenschen _’, yes? Not in the Reich, but in their early history?_  
  
Meridina nodded. _I am familiar with such. After our first contact with the Reich, Robert and the others familiarized me with the darkness of the movement.  
  
Then I might recommend some reading for you. Think of them as companion pieces. _The History of the Psi Corps by J. Gregory Keyes _, and Gregory Stanton’s_ Eight Stages of Genocide _. In the Earth Alliance, pay special attention to how telepaths get blamed for our own persecution, and how we are forced to enforce oppressive laws against our own people. I suspect you will notice some similarities._  
  
That there could be such similarities sent revulsion through Meridina that Elia could sense. _Your Earth has such darkness clouding it.  
  
You can sense that more acutely than I can. From what I remember, your spiritual beliefs? Philosophy? They stipulate that the Flow of Life is put in balance by positive emotions, yes?  
  
Yes, that is one way to put it. The Flow of Life is strengthened by positive feelings and emotion. There will always be negative sentiments, of course. But Life instinctively seeks the better ones. Love, compassion, joy, the 'feel-good stuff' as Lieutenant Barnes once said. Those things that warm the soul and provide contentment, they are the Light of Life. Some negative sentiment does not overwhelm the Light. But suffering, despair, fear, hatred, if such feelings become widespread, they restrict the Flow of Life. The Light is dimmed, Darkness intensifies, a cold in the being that fuels further dark feelings. It can be powerful in its own right, especially for beings like myself that can reach into the Flow of Life, but it is an intoxicating influence, corruptive of the spirit. To succumb to darkness is a terrible fate._ Meridina felt a small shiver of remembrance for her own brushes with darkness, first from her body being hijacked by the Goa'uld Amaunet and then her own inability to deal with the anger and pain that possession had caused her.  
  
_You’ll forgive me Commander, but it is difficult to not feel despair when there’s a good chance I’m going to watch my entire family snuff it, and that the Alliance might well, in ignorance or for lack of political will, help it happen._  
  
Meridina nodded. There was no mistaking her concern. _That is why Swenya formed the Order. To teach us to be_ swevyra'se _, to strengthen the Flow of Life, by protecting those such as your people even if it meant our own deaths. We will not stand idly by and watch such a culling, even if the Alliance does nothing._ A bitter sense came to her. _This is why we have worked to help telepaths flee to the Free Colony. Now, having met you and Astrid Bergsen, I cannot help but wonder if we have been in error on the source of darkness in the Earth Alliance_.  
  
_You have been. Commander, the Psi Corps considers sleepers to be abominations that we’re forced at gunpoint to administer. The same for the camps. If the Corps had it’s way the formula for that poison would be erased from history and the camps would be evacuated and glassed from orbit.  
  
Then we must work for that day._ They stepped up to the door of Elia's assigned quarters. _Whenever you are ready to arrange another meeting with Ms. Bergsen, please inform me, I will forward the request at the negotiation sessions. Please rest well_.  
  
_I will._ “Thank you for the company Commander.” Elia said verbally, and entered her quarters.  
  
  
  
  
With the _Aurora_ not at warp or in a combat situation, Engineering was in a state of quiet activity. Personnel were observing the naqia reactors on standby mode, waiting to be brought back online to provide the necessary power for an interuniversal jump or the activation of the warp drive. The large Master Systems Display was showing a ship that was running as smoothly as she ever had, much to the satisfaction of the man responsible for ensuring that.  
  
Montgomery Scott often eschewed the normal duty uniforms for an engineer's vest and white turtleneck, just as he had now. His gray hair and mustache set him apart from his younger staff. "Well, now. Wid ye look at that?" he asked aloud.  
  
Tom, also on engineering watch, looking up from a digital reader and reports on systems checks for the ship's sensors. He noticed Scott looking over the warp nacelle readings. While they were not in operation, it was standard practice to keep them ready for use whenever the ship was not in dock, necessitating teams to be assigned to maintain the nacelles' readiness. Tom noted the readouts from all four and nodded. "Ninety nine point eight percent on the field harmonics," he noted. "Damn good."  
  
"Aye lad, that it is." The old Starfleet engineer beamed with pride. "We've put together an excellent engineerin' team on this ship. I cudnae be prouder." He clapped Tom on the shoulder. "An' ye deserve some of that credit, Tom."  
  
"Eh, I had an excellent teacher."  
  
"So, th' new arm's workin' well?"  
  
"Yeah." He scratched at his forearm. "At least I can deal with the phantom limb stuff now." He held the arm up. "Although there's a lot more that can be done with this thing, if you ask me. From what Rob's said, Kane actually got arms with freaking pulse guns built into them."  
  
Scott chortled at that. "Did he now? An' what did ye have in mind?"  
  
"Well, I figured I can build something. Maybe a built-in plasma torch. Or an autospanner. An extendable one for all of those hard-to-reach parts." Tom shrugged. "Something to make things faster, I guess. I mean, we came pretty close to losing the ship over Germania."  
  
"Lad, dinnae worry yourself about it," Scott said softly. "Ye did well enough. Ye dinnae need t' prove somethin' by buildin' some special arm."  
  
"I was just thinking it'd be cool…" Tom stopped and sighed. "Yeah. It would be a waste of time, I guess."  
  
"What's really botherin' ye, Tom?"  
  
"I just…" He shrugged. "It's not so much that I almost died, it's that… what if I hadn't been able to free myself? We'd have lost the ship. And what if it happens again?"  
  
For a moment Scott remained quiet. "Ah lad. I know how easy it is t' worry about such things. I've had more close calls in my life than even I can remember, an' ye always wonder if th' next one will be th' one that gets ye." He put a hand on Tom's shoulder and prompted his protege to face him. "Tom, ye've come a long way from th' day I met ye. Ye've learned a lot. But one thing we all have trouble with is learnin' t' accept when we dinnae have control over somethin'. Dinnae worry yerself about that or think ye need t' make some fancy arm for yeself."  
  
Tom processed the advice for several seconds. "Alright," he said. A small smile came to his face. "But I still think a plasma welder arm would be _cool_."  
  
To that, Scott chuckled.  
  
  
  
  
The conference lounge was selected for the private briefing to the others on Elia's contact with Psi Corps. Onaran only brought Travada while Julia, Meridina, and Jarod attended as well. An evening repast was provided by the Lookout staff, mostly finger foods given the late time, should anyone want something to supplement dinner (or lack thereof).  
  
At Onaran's request, Elia provided the information in brief. Repeating the information about the Earth colonies ejecting Psi Corps and the rise in the slave trade, Elia moved on to other material.  
  
“What is worse, in a political sense at least, has been EarthGov’s response. Instead of increasing intelligence-sharing and providing additional patrols, they’ve actually curtailed both. At the same time, EarthDome has been demanding that Metapol ‘do more’ about Lyta’s attacks, They’ve threatened to cut the Psi Corps budget over that particular issue. With their ships at best hesitant to answer calls for assistance and the mundane intelligence services being unwilling to share information, they’re hampering the efforts of the Corps in that respect as well. You all saw the results on Mars, and the aftermath. An aftermath that is entirely predictable and would have been easily foreseen by EarthGov."  
  
“At the same time, ISN, which is an arm of the state in all but name belonging to the Anti-Clarkist faction this year, has been perfectly happy to take every opportunity possible opportunity to attack the Psi Corps, up to and including distorting and in some cases outright fabricating facts. It got to the point on Omega VII last year that they were openly slandering the local Psi Cops. The Corps managed to effectively declare them _factio non grata_ on that planet and commercial telepaths refused to contract with them or any of their business partners, but the same cannot be said everywhere, EarthGov didn’t let that stand for long either.”  
  
Julia listened quietly and said nothing, considering what was being said. She'd seen little of ISN herself. She glanced toward Jarod, whom she knew researched such things.  
  
"ISN makes pretenses to being an independent news channel, but they get preferential treatment on the interstellar communications network and tax breaks," Jarod revealed. "Generally speaking, the owners seem to give editorial freedom except on some issues considered vital to whichever faction of Earth's government they're in alignment with."  
  
"And the charge of stealing children?" asked Julia.  
  
Jarod shook his head. "I researched it myself. They were teenagers freed from literal slavery. They'd bonded mentally to the point that taking even one away would have been of immense psychological harm." He frowned. "Unfortunately, one set of parents, the ones who went to ISN, were anti-telepath bigots who wanted to put their son on sleepers. They were the ones who screamed kidnapping when he refused to consent."  
  
"It is clear that the situation in Earthspace is worsening," Onaran stated. "And we cannot discount the possibility that they will refuse reasonable terms. Given the survival of Clarkist elements, President Luchenko cannot afford to seem too accommodating."  
  
“Hating telepaths and the Psi Corps is a bipartisan consensus, Mr. Secretary.” Elia replied.  
  
"Throw in the people who are pro-telepath but anti-Corps, and it's a mess," Jarod added.  
  
“Wait, hold on. I’ve been out of the Earth Alliance for some time, but I was in the Corps during the Clarkist regime. They always seemed more than happy with the Psi Corps. What changed? The slavers have always been a problem, a large number of ships we expected to arrive at the Free Colony have failed to show up and we’ve fear the worst there, but seriously?” Travada said.  
  
“You can hate telepaths and the Psi Corps and still use them.” Elia replied in clipped tones “Just look at the Earth-Minbari War. What does one do with a tool that is no longer of use?”  
  
Jarod nodded. "Another factor is that with Clark out of power and his abuses publicly revealed, those now in power may see the Psi Corps as more of a threat. York is the one known committed Clarkist to have kept his position."  
  
"Which only contributes to this problem. It is a severe enough difficulty that the Underground attacks are stepping up in a period of increased anti-telepath sentiments," Meridina said. "That this is occurring while an unknown party is creating a great demand for telepaths in the slave trade makes our difficulties all the greater. Slavers such as these thrive on political instability as much as they do upon corruption."  
  
"There's not much we can do to stop it inside of Earth space," Julia noted. "And even in neutral space, there would be holes. The Alliance fleet doesn't operate in hyperspace, and it would take months to refit enough ships to create a working hyperspace-capable patrol fleet given the spaces we'd have to cover."  
  
"There is the _White Star_ fleet," Meridina proposed. "And G'Kar would contribute ships as well."  
  
“No.” Elia said in flat tones that could only be a suppressed snarl before she calmed herself down with her own iron-discipline. “Sheridan uses and discards telepaths like toilet paper. I will also relay what Captain Zhen’var told me: when he was stationed on Io, he covered up the fact that then-lieutenant Ivanova defenestrated a commercial telepath. Three stories up, head first. It didn’t matter that there was a pool, he’s confined to a wheelchair now. Sheridan is not to be considered reliable.”  
  
Julia felt an instinctive need to defend Sheridan, who always struck her as a good man who'd personally suffered to stop a cruel regime. Meridina spoke into her mind before Julia could voice it, carefully shielding the thought to keep it private. _Lyta Alexander voiced a similar sentiment when we met her last year. Although she did not confine it to telepaths._  
  
Elia p’heard Julia’s thoughts, despite her habitual blocks, it was so strong and reflexive that she couldn’t help but pick it up, and yet there it was. “I will note, Captain, that the man who wrote the American Declaration of Independence was himself a slave-owner. He did not manumit the mother of his children.”  
  
There was a small frown on Julia's face at that, not from what Elia said but the facts behind it. She didn't want to be wrong about someone she'd looked up to. She could still remember Sheridan shaking her hand after the talks at Rohric, congratulating her for her handling of the Tira Crisis and her stand against the genocide of the Dilgar survivors there. The recognition from someone of that reputation was treasured by her. To hear him being slandered...  
  
“My government largely concurs with Commander Saumarez. President Sheridan stands up for the rights of every sapient being in the the galaxy, except for the ones he’s been raised his entire life to unconsciously think of as tools.” Travada replied “During the Shadow War, he put out the call to rogue telepaths the Underground Railroad got out of Earth Alliance space with the promise of paying work. They found themselves on Minbari ships as jamming devices. Some knew what was being asked of them, some didn’t. They got cut loose when the war ended without so much as a by your leave. And I need not point out his betrayal of both Byron Gordon and Lyta Alexander. Byron was a cult leader, I’ll admit that here; but the reason Lyta was susceptible was because Sheridan and almost his entire staff treated her like useful garbage for years.”  
  
Julia said nothing. It was one thing for the involuntarily exiled Elia to say these things. She wore her continued loyalty to Psi Corps on her hands. Travada, she knew to lack the same. If even he was bitter toward Sheridan…  
  
"Great beings are never perfect ones," Meridina said. "And while I understand your distrust, even if Sheridan has no sympathies for telepaths, his InterStellar Alliance cannot afford to seem incapable of stopping such conduct. And I am quite confident that G'Kar will be just as willing to see these forces stopped. We cannot rule out some aid from that quarter."  
  
“G’Kar is generally reliable, yes. If nothing else he can browbeat Sheridan into doing the right thing.” Elia replied.  
  
Having listened quietly to the conversation and the back-and-forth, Onaran returned to the discussion by saying, "Whatever the prejudices of Sheridan and the other leaders are, the Alliance is founded on opposition to sapient slavery, and we will make clear our insistence on the ISA's cooperation against slaver forces." He looked to Elia. "I am consulting with Portland on some of the issues raised in this communique from the Corps. Do you have another meeting planned with Miss Bergsen?"  
  
“I do.”  
  
"I need only arrange a time with Miss Bergsen, preferably during a negotiation session," added Meridina.  
  
"Then I will endeavor to have a reply to send with you," said Onaran. "I can already give this guarantee: the United Alliance of Systems will accept the aid of any group seeking to put down slavery and the slave trade. If Psi Corps is fighting slavers, they will have our support, and we request theirs in kind on the matter. Other matters we will negotiate over."  
  
“That is something that the Psi Corps will doubtlessly appreciate, Mr. Secretary.” Elia said, a certain tension visibly lifting from her shoulders.  
  
"Then our business for the day is concluded. Please rest well, Commander." Onaran stood and nodded once to her respectfully. "We will know more tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

With the day's diplomatic meetings ended and both sides awaiting further instructions, Julia returned to her quarters to bring the day to a close. After a quiet dinner she went through _t'ai chi_ and _mokbara_ forms a little longer than usual, working out the frustrations of the day. Then it was off to the shower and, afterward, a half hour of reading through the rest of the day's reports in her bathrobe before attending to her hair.  
  
She'd just swapped into her silver nightgown when the door chime went off. Julia called out, "A moment" while reaching for her blue nightrobe. As soon as she finished pulling it on and tied it close, she went to the door and tapped the key to open it.  
  
"Mind if I have a moment?" asked Jarod, standing in the corridor. He was still in duty uniform.  
  
"Sure." She led him in and gestured toward the chairs. They weren't top of the line recliners, but they were rather comfortable replicated models, both green in coloring. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"Since our briefing on the _Huáscar_ , I've been thinking about what Elia - Commander Saumarez - said. About what would happen without Psi Corps."  
  
"You mean that telepaths would be reduced to slaves for the megacorporations?" Julia asked.  
  
"Exactly. You can guess why I'm thinking of it."  
  
"Yeah, I can," Julia said. "It reminds you of what happened to you, doesn't it?"  
  
Jarod replied with a nod. "It's why I've been thinking about this whole problem from another angle."  
  
"Commander Saumarez isn't the most objective observer," Julia pointed out. "She's still loyal to the Corps. To what she thinks they are, not what they might actually be."  
  
"And you think she's wrong?"  
  
"I think…" Julia stopped there. She could see Jarod's intent look. "...I think she wants her family, or those she considers her family, to be what she imagines them to be. That anything bad they do has a good reason, or is something they're forced to do. She doesn't want to accept that the Psi Corps might be wrong."  
  
"And you think they are?" Jarod asked.  
  
"I don't know, I..." Julia sighed. "Jarod, they tried to carry Rob and Meridina away to turn them into lab experiments. They were going to do the same thing to Lucy, given what she reported from the encounter at Venir. They shot you. They would definitely have hurt Cat. And they were doing that to protect the people who shot down a _White Star_ to cover up their activities. These people are not angels. Maybe they're the best thing telepaths have in the Earth Alliance, but that doesn't mean there isn't something better. All of these telepaths struggling to escape them, to get out of Earth space… there's a reason for it."  
  
"Julia, I'm not saying the Corps is innocent of everything," Jarod said. "But I've… I took the time to Pretend to be a Psi Cop, in my head."  
  
Julia folded her arms and nodded. She knew what he was meaning. "Since you're not a telepath, that's the best you can do, I'd think."  
  
"It is. And what they go through… I think their behavior, their attitude, it's a psychological defense mechanism," he said. "They're required by Earth law to hunt their own kind, Julia. They have to hunt them, subdue them, and if they won't join the Corps, they throw them into camps or force them to take drugs that dull the world so badly many of them commit suicide to escape. And they do this for the protection of non-telepaths who still hate and fear them. On top of that, they protect their own people, as expected, and are seen as heroes for it. But there are so many inherent contradictions in those roles, especially being both a hunter and protector of telepaths, that the tension will tear down any psyche. Imagine having to chase people convinced you're out to hurt them, to enslave and destroy them, not wanting to hurt them when they're very likely to kill you if they get the chance." Jarod's face twisted into a grimace, showing he was imagining it. "These people are your kin. Your family. They're out there causing themselves and others harm, maybe not even intentionally, but just by running they provoke fear of telepaths. They could get themselves hurt or killed trying to run. So you're trying to save them by bringing them in, even while they're fighting you. And if you do end up hurting them, killing them… the people who force you to hunt them pat you on the back and congratulate you. They see you killing your own people as protecting _them_ , they hate and fear you so much."  
  
Julia nodded wordlessly.  
  
"I looked at the statistics, what few Earth allows to be publicly published. Most Psi Cops burn out from their jobs. They don't make it past their 40s. Some commit suicide, or they transfer to teaching because there's nothing else they can do. They're not allowed to speak out against what Earth law forces them to do. The ones that don't quit, well… short of a solid, emotional anchor, the only way they can survive the strain is to shut down their emotions. Ignore the tension between their roles, or reconceive them to reduce that tension. Even if it actually turns you into a monster in the end." Jarod stopped for a moment, to consider what he was going to say. "For a long time I couldn't understand why they hunted their own people, and it's why I didn't think much of the Corps either. But the facts are there. They're not the villains that we thought they were. They're just… people trying to survive. Trying to survive in a society that hates and fears them, trying to protect themselves and those like them. And I don't want us to be culpable in destroying the only thing between telepath children and people like Raines."  
  
As Jarod spoke his voice grew more heated, although not louder. She considered what he said, along with what Elia had said, and Travada, and Astrid Bergsen. Given how unjust Earth laws were, it all made sense. She couldn't just deny these arguments, dismiss them.  
  
And yet she wanted to. At least a part of her did. A part that screamed in her head, _They tried to take Robby! They tried to take him away from you! To hurt him! To hell with them!_  
  
The very thought brought some anger to her expression. Jarod noticed it. "It's instinctive, isn't it?" he asked.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"That feeling you have. About Bester hunting down Robert and Meridina last year," Jarod said. "If he'd just been after Lyta, and they'd been in the way, that's one thing. But he hunted them. To turn them into experiments."  
  
"He did. Ms. Bergsen apologized for that, actually."  
  
"But you don't trust it. You can't let yourself."  
  
"Not with his safety."  
  
"Which is part of the point here, really. You're worried about Robert. And now you're thinking about that, and it's affecting your judgement."  
  
"Maybe it is. Maybe I'm the wrong one, and you and Saumarez and Zhen'var and Bergsen are all right," Julia said. "But I can't just turn those feelings off. You _know_ how much Rob means to me."  
  
"You love him. And he loves you."  
  
"It's more than just love. We've been together for so long. We've been a part of one another's lives since the time we could remember. The thought of losing him…" Her nostrils flared. "If that son of a bitch Bester had actually taken Robert last year, Jarod, I would have happily burnt down the entire Psi Corps to get him back."  
  
"I know. And you'll always be worried about him," Jarod said. "But you can't let that interfere with your judgement."  
  
"No, I can't." Julia rubbed her forehead with her left hand. "Which is why I'll continue supporting this mission. Which is why I should be getting to bed for the talks in the morning so I don't commit a career-destroying, war-provoking _faux pas_."  
  
"That's good enough reason for me," Jarod remarked jovially. He grinned and stood. "Thank you for hearing me out."  
  
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity," she replied.  
  
  
  
  
With the aid of a good night's rest and a good breakfast courtesy of Hargert, Julia managed to get through the whole session without destroying her career.  
  
Not that she didn't want to bounce "Mr. Thomas"' head off the table a few times by the end of it.  
  
To call the session unproductive would be inaccurate. It seemed more counter-productive than anything. Onaran offered numerous suggestions on compromises, everything from Minbari or Starfleet observers for the Free Colony to Alliance guarantees of aid in fighting Lyta's underground, backed by Travada's assurances of assistance. Even Earth Alliance representatives to some of the dig sites in Darglan space. Nothing was good enough. Lantze would seem to agree just to have Mr. Thomas or Bethany Taggart whisper in his ear, resulting in a term's rejection. Earth, for its part, never offered anything of a compromise. They insisted they would not be satisfied with anything less than the extradition of the Free Colony's leadership and all telepaths on a "security threats" list, the termination of the Colony's affiliate status and independence, and independent Earth access to dig sites in Darglan space.  
  
By the end of it Julia didn't know who aggravated her more: Mr. Thomas and his crushing of all possible compromise, or Taggart and her blatant bigotry toward Astrid and Travada alike. Lantze's inability to control either also qualified him for her "list of people I want to punch right now", albeit at a lower priority.  
  
When the meeting was finally, mercifully over, Julia was about to go to the door when Ivanova intercepted her. "Well, another wasted morning," Ivanova said. "I haven't had that much wasted time attempting diplomacy since the Drazi drew colored ribbons and started beating the crap out of one another."  
  
"Didn't they start doing that just a few months ago?" asked Julia.  
  
"Yeah, a couple of months before Tira. Which was the only reason they stopped for a while. They do it every five years. I had to deal with it the last time. I still have the Green Leader sash somewhere." They walked out of the conference room together. "Although they did finally get the rule change barring aliens through committee, so it's no use these days." Ivanova stopped, prompting Julia to turn and face her. "I'd like to offer you that dinner I talked about. How about tonight, at Earhart's? Around 20 hundred Earth Central?"  
  
Julia did the mental conversion. That would be about 1700 _Aurora_ time. "Alright," she said. "I'm up for it."  
  
"Good. I'll meet you there. Ordinarily it's Earthforce only, but I'll let them know you're coming so there shouldn't be any problems. See you then."  
  
Ivanova left, leaving Julia to rejoin Onaran and the others.  
  
  
  
  
Onaran was in his quarters when Meridina and Elia arrived together. "Commanders, thank you for coming so quickly," he said. "We have little time before I am due back at the negotiation table."  
  
“It does appear that the Earth Alliance is not, in strictest terms, negotiating in good faith, Mr. Secretary.” Elia didn’t think they ever actually would, but she kept her feelings of vindication with respect to simply conquering her former government to herself.  
  
"No, I do not think it is. Regardless, the attempt must be made. We have had two months of peace and much remains to be settled. But there is another matter." He picked up an E5B1-model data crystal and held it out to Elia. "I have consulted with the Cabinet. They are still reviewing the finer details of the Corps' information, but based on our existing intelligence, we are ready to begin establishment of the communications channel. The Alliance Intelligence Service and the Foreign Office will cooperate on establishing our end of the channel through our consulate here on _Babylon-5_. The relevant information is in here. Additionally, any new intelligence we receive on the growing slaver threat will be shared with Psi Corps, as will information regarding Earth's policy toward the telepath population. Should we receive warning signs of an imminent genocide or other form of attack, we will share them with the Corps."  
  
Elia considered that definite good news, but she kept herself from expressing it. It was a small step, and the reality was the United Alliance of Systems was still bothering to negotiate with the Earth Alliance, which meant they were still willing to offer concessions, even to someone they knew was not negotiating honestly and was trying to strong-arm them. “Thank you Mr. Secretary, I will get this to Ms. Bergsen as soon as possible.”  
  
"I will arrange another meeting time with Ms. Bergsen at the next session," Meridina said.  
  
"Please do." A distasteful look came to Onaran's face. "I must deal with Minister Lantze and his handlers." That expression made clear Onaran's own approximation of his opposite on the Earth government. "It would be preferable if we did not have to endure their inflexibility, but our people are weary of conflict and another is already brewing in S5T3."  
  
"I am told that it is not uncommon in history for a smaller, more aggressive power to win concessions against a stronger foe with other concerns," Meridina noted. "There are those who categorize early relations between Gersal and the Coserian Emperor as such, before the Empire's decisive defeat at Ji'Doreia."  
  
Elia knew a great deal of the evils that could result from a stronger power granting concessions to a weaker and more aggressive one due to war-weariness. The fate of Poland in the 1940s and subsequent catastrophic global war, holocaust, and the decimation of Russia served as a convenient object lesson. One that evidently wasn’t going to be heeded despite having fought a war with the space-conquering result in another universe. Instead of saying it though, she simply gave Secretary Onaron a look that carried with it the expression ‘you know better’.  
  
Onaran met the look without saying anything. "I will see you at the Transporter Station, Commander Meridina," he said. "Please excuse me, I must finish my preparations."  
  
Once they were out of the quarters, Meridina glanced toward Elia before mentally connecting to her. _I can sense your disapproval of this course. You still advocate a military suppression of EarthGov and the imposition of telepath civil rights?  
  
I do. In the long-run, it’s best for everyone that way. The Alliance, my own people, bluntly even the Earth Alliance itself. What’s going to happen now is that they’re going to extract technological concessions. Eventually, they’re going to push the Alliance into war, because they’re going to start a genocide. Would you rather fight them now when they are technologically inferior and not mobilized for war, or later when neither of those are true? _Elia replied.   
  
_A stark choice. I cannot argue against the possibility. At the same time, the Alliance itself was strained by the war. The bonds to forge it more closely were left half-completed, and while the war may have strengthened some, it has frayed others. I can understand the Secretary's position of making an agreement if it is feasible._ Meridina's expression remained solid. _We can still prevail in the end, and I have faith we will_.  
  
_Commander, you’re a good person, and I can’t help but respect you. However, there is a human saying. God helps those who help themselves. Short of invading the Earth Alliance, the best course of action is to simply walk out and not reward their tactics._  
  
Meridina nodded in acceptance of the point. _Swenya once said that the Light acts through us, so we too must act if it is to prevail._ She glyphed reassurance and understanding to Elia. _I know you fear for your family. Whatever the differences, I sympathize with that, and I too wish we could simply walk away.  
  
It is what it is _Elia thought, but she kept the fact that she didn’t really believe that behind her own mental barriers. _We’ll find out in the fullness of time exactly how telepaths are going to be screwed in this fracas. Because that, I guarantee you, is going to happen._  
  
Meridina nodded. She could sense Elia was holding thoughts from her, but said or thought nothing of that. She knew there was nothing she could say or think to alleviate Elia's worry.  
  
  
  
  
The resumption of negotiations provided no reprieve from the deadlock. Earth would not budge. The Alliance would not either.  
  
"You must think very little of us to assume we will just bend with no concessions," Onaran was stating.  
  
"I admit I'm starting to," Taggart grumbled. "You bloody lot are ruining a hundred years of peace between normals and telepaths."  
  
"I am afraid I cannot consider such to be peace," said Tanapa. "You treat your mindwalkers abysmally."  
  
"I'd expect that from a society that lets them root around in people's heads," Taggart retorted. "We have a right to the privacy of our thoughts. Our laws are made to keep telepaths from violating those rights."  
  
"Do you also force all of those with high intelligence into a similar institution, on pain of imprisonment or drugging?" Tapana asked calmly, but with a point to her voice. "Clearly the more intelligent might violate any number of rights for those less intelligent through trickery and deception."  
  
"It's not the bloody same. An intelligent person can't tear your mind apart or steal your whole life just by looking at you!"  
  
"Minister Lantze, we cannot continue to circle ourselves like this," said Onaran. "There is no room for compromise with your government's requirements, so I am unsure of how we can ever negotiate them. You have received no instruction or guidance from Earth on our positions?"  
  
"I am afraid Earth's position on these matters is dictated by right and necessity, Mister Secretary," Lantze replied. "The Allied Systems' support of the rogue telepaths has destabilized our society. Your seizing of former Darglan space on our frontier seems nothing but a deliberate attempt to deny Earth natural expansion and to sustain your monopoly on Darglan technology."  
  
"We have done no such thing. The protection of the Darglan Homeworld and adjoining space is to ensure that only responsible parties gain access to them," Karbarov retorted.  
  
"Responsible parties _you_ approve of," Deng Jiang noted. "Surely you can see our concerns."  
  
"We are more than willing to allow Earth to join our expedition teams," said Onaran.  
  
"You mean you'll accept a handful of picked specialists that you can control," Thomas retorted. "This is as Minister Lantze has stated. It is an act meant to sustain your monopoly on access to Darglan technology and to deny Earth the ability to keep pace with other species." He put a finger on the table. "Add your support of telepath renegades, and we can't help but wonder if the Allied Systems is trying to undermine Earth while we recover from the Civil War."  
  
"I'm not sure I agree with you on that, Mister Thomas," Julia said. "Earth has _plenty_ of other avenues of expansion, including habitable garden planets, outside of Darglan space."  
  
"Those worlds are not as easy to access from our current hyperspace network, Captain. And they would be less secure from attack." Thomas crossed his arms. "Minister, I think it is clear that the Allied Systems believe Earth will fold before its greater size. They think they can push us around."  
  
"Mister Thomas, _please_ …" Lantze began.  
  
"No, Minister. I would like to hear him out," said Onaran. "Please, continue."  
  
"Earth requires, for its most basic security and peace, that the Alliance permit Earth access to former Darglan space," said Thomas. "Even more importantly, the Alliance must cease its support of terrorist telepaths."  
  
"We do not support them."  
  
"Mars says differently."  
  
_Does he know something we don't?_ Julia thought.  
  
Meridina's reply came a moment later. _His thoughts are shielded. And naturally Ms. Bergsen will intervene were I to attempt more_.  
  
_Would I? A question for the ages..._  
  
Meridina glyphed a reply of bemusement, but with it the sentiment that if Thomas sensed her and Astrid did nothing to stop her, he would report her failure. In turn, Astrid sent back a mental image of herself nodding in agreement. _It’s unlikely a mundane would notice, but not entirely outside possibility. Even if it were just on the level of noticing a significant glance. They like to report scans that didn’t happen so..._  
  
Meanwhile the conversation continued on. "We categorically deny any involvement in the attack on Mars," said Onaran.  
  
"The Free Colony does as well," Travada insisted.  
  
"I'm afraid Earth can't afford to take your assurances at face value, gentlemen," Thomas said. "We have to look to our own security. And we will. President Luchenko is prepared to deploy Earth's fleet into neutral space. They will be operating under her full authority to secure our borders. All Alliance vessels heading to or from Earthspace will be subject to immediate search. Any ship found carrying contraband, including rogue telepaths, will be seized and their crews arrested."  
  
"Earth has no jurisdiction in that space," Karbarov retorted. "You have no authority!"  
  
"Earth has every right to protect itself from terrorists!" Thomas shot back. "Our jurisdiction on that matter is universal. Much like your own when you seized Earth Alliance citizens from Mars!"  
  
"You mean the slavers attempting to abduct children?" Julia asked.  
  
"I mean Earth citizens who have not yet been given a fair trial in court," Thomas replied. He returned his attention to Onaran. "We came here hoping to convince the Alliance of the gravity of Earth's predicament, and to urge you to take steps to reassure Earth. If you will not, Earth will act on its own, if we must, in order to protect ourselves."  
  
"And we must act to defend our rights," Onaran replied. "If Earth does act in this fashion, we will match Earth ship for ship, and any attempt to seize an Alliance vessel in neutral space will be resisted."  
  
"Then we'll fight," Taggart declared.  
  
"Gentlebeings, please," Lantze pleaded. "We came to make peace. This is really getting out of hand."  
  
"Minister Lantze, I do believe you are sincere," said Onaran. "But we will not seek a peace based on surrender of our rights or our principles. The Allied Systems will _not_ forsake the Free Colony nor its leadership, neither will we repudiate our stance on the issue of civil and sentient rights for telepaths being upheld. We are willing to negotiate Earth's access to Darglan space and, I again stress, make guarantees to your security regarding the telepath situation. Including providing you the means to verify the Free Colony is not providing aid to Lyta Alexander and her terrorists. If you cannot construct an agreement based on these lines, then I see no point in continuing this deliberation." Onaran stood. "I urge you, Minister Lantze, to prevail upon your government to determine if it is truly willing to gamble on escalation. The preservation of peace is in your hands. I will await your answer." He nodded to Tapana and then to Karbarov, who both stood. Travada did as well, as did the others.  
  
As Meridina did so, she looked briefly to Astrid. _Another meeting, in two hours' time_ , she glyphed to the Psi Corps woman. _Your sister has news to share_.  
  
_Excellent. There is a hedge maze not terribly far from the Zen Garden, any station map should permit you to locate it. I’ll meet Elia in the center in two hours._ Astrid replied.  
  
With this done, the Alliance team filed out of the room.  
  
  
  
  
Given the direction of the negotiations, a part of Julia just wanted to return to the _Aurora_ , finish her paperwork, and bring the day to an end. Ultimately, though, the chance to have a meal and a sit-down with Susan Ivanova, a legitimate war hero in the fight against the Shadows and President Clark, was too great a chance to pass on.  
  
Earhart's was in Red Sector, the top floor of its own tower with a lift leading up. Julia went in uniform and took the lift leading to the entrance. She was immediately met by one of the staff, a man of Mediterranean complexion and appearance. "Ma'am, I'm afraid Earhart's is for Earthforce personnel only," he said. "I'm going to have…" He stopped himself and Julia watched his eyes go to the rank insignia on her collar. "Captain Andreys?"  
  
"That would be me, yes," Julia replied amiably.  
  
A bit of pink appeared in his cheeks. "My apologies, ma'am. I, well…" Now he seemed sheepish. "...I guess you looked a little younger than I imagined. You're here with Captain Ivanova, right?"  
  
"She invited me, yes."  
  
"Follow me, please."  
  
The man, a busboy Julia guessed, escorted Julia to a window seat. Ivanova was sitting there by herself. She looked up and smiled amiably. "Captain, welcome to Earhart's."  
  
Julia allowed her impromptu usher to pull a seat for her across from Ivanova before sitting down. "Thank you," she said to him while settling in her seat. "Earhart's? As in Amelia Earhart?"  
  
"Exactly. Who else would it be?"  
  
"Well, I wasn't sure," Julia admitted. "But since it's been over three hundred years since she was around, at least in your history, I imagined some other Earhart might have popped up."  
  
"Not to my knowledge," Susan replied. "So, I promised you a Jovian sunspot, and it will be delivered soon. As for food, I really recommend the prime rib. They bring it in straight from Earth."  
  
"That must be really expensive," Julia said. "I mean, given my experience with space stations, and how all of the food has to be imported. Unless you have replicators."  
  
"I've heard good and bad about those. They never get food right."  
  
"It depends on how well maintained they are, and who built them," Julia replied. "Although even the best ones are always a _little_ off." She smiled. "Hargert only uses replicated materials in his meals as a last resort, and he always apologizes."  
  
"Hargert?" asked Ivanova.  
  
"He runs our crew lounge on the _Aurora_ ," Julia replied. "It's sort of like, well, Earhart's."  
  
"But on the ship."  
  
"Yes. They're standard on our star cruisers in the fleet," Julia explained. "Although they can vary by ship."  
  
Ivanova chuckled, grinning as she did. "Wow. I never imagined anyone doing that. The best we can hope for on an Earthforce ship is that the galley cooks don't spit in the food. Do you even have a galley?"  
  
"We do have mess halls on a lot of ships, but for the most part they use replicators," Julia explained.  
  
"Great," said Ivanova, quite sardonically in tone. "I'm in the wrong fleet."  
  
A server came up with a pair of glasses, each filled with an orange fluid that was reddish at the bottom. "Here we go." Ivanova accepted hers and waited for Julia to have her's in hand before saying, "I helped come up with this back when I was stationed on Io. I recommended the bartender add the vodka."  
  
Given the way the day had gone, Julia didn't protest the idea of a drink. She took a modest one and considered the flavors before swallowing. "It's like a screwdriver, but…"  
  
"Not just a screwdriver." Ivanova took a drink herself. "It also has cranberry-apple juice and cream of coconut."  
  
"I'll have to share that with the others," Julia said.  
  
The waiter came and took their orders at that point. Once they were given Ivanova took another drink and asked, "So, I've read some of the reports and heard the rumors. You're considered one of the Alliance founders, as in you actually, what, negotiated it?"  
  
"I was involved, yes," Julia said. "Back in the Facility days, before they moved the venue for the negotiation to New Liberty. Which I also helped found. I hear you played a similar role for the ISA."  
  
"Oh, maybe a teensy one," Ivanova replied. "That was mostly John, Delenn, and G'Kar. It was my job to make the diplomats prefer John and the others. Among other things. So, is that why you're out here? Working for this Alliance you've helped to build?"  
  
"It is," Julia said. "The Alliance… it's something that can change the Multiverse. It already has, in fact. And for the better."  
  
"You overthrew a space-faring Third Reich. I'd definitely call that an improvement."  
  
Julia replied with a nod of agreement before she continued. "I'll admit that I like where I am, too. I always thought I could do more, be more. Take responsible positions and prove I could accomplish things with them."  
  
"To prove you could be a good leader," suggested Ivanova.  
  
"Yeah. And so here I am."  
  
"Well, you've proven quite a lot. Tira and Germania. And when I was checking the records, you were the one who averted a war with those symbiote-infected Amazons in… what was it? Universe A6N2?"  
  
"A2M6," Julia corrected. "And yes." After taking another drink she asked, "What about you?"  
  
"Same here," Ivanova said. "I've been a career officer my whole life. Made Captain a little early, thanks to how things settled back home after Clark killed himself. I've never bothered much with family."  
  
"I consider many of my friends and comrades to be my family," Julia said.  
  
"They can be, in the right circumstances," Ivanova agreed. She looked to Julia. "Siblings? Parents?"  
  
"They died years ago. Before Robert found the Facility. Back when we were just a circle of friends in flat, boring Kansas."  
  
"I've never been there myself. The reputation reminds me of the Ukraine. We lived there once. For a little while."  
  
Julia heard a bit of sadness in her voice and asked, "What about your family?"  
  
"Gone. My father died a few years ago, not long after I was assigned to B5," Ivanova explained. "Ganya, my older brother, was killed flying against the Minbari. And my mother…" A distant, pained look came to Ivanova's face. "Well, what happened to her… that's relevant to what's going on now, I suppose."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"My mother was an unregistered telepath," Ivanova said. Seeing Julia's surprised look Ivanova nodded. "She wasn't very strong. Probably a P4, maybe a P3. Just powerful enough to ruin her life. She was able to hide her talents until my brother and I were born. The Psi Corps caught up to her when I was just a child."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"She got the choice. Join the Corps, go to prison, or take sleepers. She chose the last." After taking another drink, Ivanova continued, "For ten years they came once a week to inject her. And all that time, we watched the light in her eyes go out bit by bit. Eventually she couldn't live with what the drugs were doing to her and she took her own life." Pain was joined by bitterness. "The Psi Corps killed my mother by centimeters."  
  
"I'm… I'm sorry." Julia put her glass down. "I knew that Earth law forced telepaths to take drugs if they wouldn't join. And I've heard they do things to people…"  
  
"Nobody knows the statistics for sure. They can't agree on them," Ivanova said. "And EarthGov would rather nobody did. They don't want to make the voters squeamish about it."  
  
"They don't have to take it anyway. Nobody does except telepaths."  
  
"Exactly. Not usually, anyway. The Telepath Resistance blew up a chemical factory producing them once. Many, many decades ago. They exposed most of Seattle to a dose." A bitter smile crossed Ivanova's lips. "I suppose there's some justice in that."  
  
Julia nodded. "That's why you hate Psi Corps?"  
  
"Among other reasons. Why?"  
  
"I, well… whatever they are, this is still the fault of the Earth Alliance, from what I can see," Julia said. "They wrote the laws. Your people voted them into office to keep them in place. Does Psi Corps even have a choice?"  
  
"I suppose not. But that doesn't stop them from doing it, and being very eager to do it," Ivanova said. "After all, they benefit from the sleepers. Some telepaths give up and join the Corps just to get off of them. And the Corps gains more tools for whatever their agenda is. Tools to use and throw away when it suits them."  
  
There was something in the way Ivanova said that which made Julia think back to their first meeting. "You said you had a friend who was a telepath in the Corps. That they killed her?"  
  
"Talia Winters. Yes. She was the Commercial telepath that Psi Corps assigned to B5. She grew up in the Corps. She loved the Corps." A fury built in Ivanova's voice. "And the Corps took her and implanted a sleeper personality in her brain to spy on the rest of us. Once the personality came out, it erased the Talia I knew. It basically killed her, even if the body was still alive."  
  
Julia swallowed. Her own sympathy mingled with her lingering distrust of the Corps, intensifying it. "You and Talia, you were close?"  
  
Ivanova nodded very stiffly. "Yes," she answered, in a way that told Julia that her acquaintance couldn't bring herself to talk about it any more. And yet she added, "We were very close near the end."  
  
Julia thought she knew what Ivanova meant, although she couldn't be certain. The pain in Ivanova's voice made it hard to consider anything else. "I'd hate them too," she admitted. "I'd hate them to the end if they took someone like that from me." _If they took Robert._  
  
"I'm sure Miss Bergsen would insist otherwise, but the Corps isn't good for telepaths. Whatever they do for them, in the end the Corps is still just a cage." Ivanova leaned forward. "Which is why I'd like to talk to you about something." Her voice lowered a little, although not by much. She didn't need to speak too lowly given there weren't many people around them.  
  
"Oh?" Julia tried not to lean in too, just in case it looked suspicious. "What?"  
  
"The Alliance is the best hope for our telepaths to be free of the Corps," Ivanova said. "If we end up with Earthforce watching every ship leaving Earthspace, that hope goes away. But I think we can find a way to make these talks work. It won't be easy, but you'll be able to get more telepaths out of Earthspace than you ever have."  
  
Julia set her glass down after taking a sip. "I'm listening," she said.  
  
  
  
  
Meridina and Elia returned to _Babylon-5_ and again made their way through customs and into the station. As they moved along, Meridina felt nothing in terms of immediate danger, but she was not so certain none would be coming. There was a different feel around her now, as if there was a lingering presence. Not something following, but always on the periphery, waiting and curious. She glanced toward Elia and glyphed that feeling.  
  
Elia reached out with her mind, questing, searching for the source of what Meridina felt, but when she didn’t get anything she shook her head.  
  
With Elia's decision, Meridina followed her into the garden area. They worked their way through the plants until they arrived at the meeting area Astrid had specified, this time near the Zen garden in a line of short trees at the edge of the hedge maze. The entrance was nearby. As they approached the entrance Meridina stopped. _I shall guard the approach to this place_ , she glyphed to Elia.  
  
_Alright. I’ll meet you back here when we’re done._ Elia replied, and entered the hedge maze. It was lovely for breaking lines of sight, and Elia was impressed that Astrid had pegged onto it. She made her way through using the left-turn rule until she reached the center and found Astrid sitting at a fountain in the center.  
  
“Fancy running into you again. What are the odds?” Astrid asked. _I should warn you, I was tailed. I’m pretty sure I shook them in Brown Sector. Pretty sure they were telepaths. Not sure how strong._  
  
“Not high I imagine, but the universe seems to exist on Small World rules.” Elia replied. _Then we should be quick. I’m afraid the Alliance’s spine got a bit mushy fighting Nazis and they’re going to make concessions, but the United Alliance of Systems will be entering into intelligence sharing with the Corps. They’ll operate out of Babylon 5, it shouldn’t be too difficult to slip agents delivering and receiving intelligence in and out._  
  
“Well, unfortunately I don’t have the time to chat at the moment, though I do enjoy your company. Work beckons, and all that.” Astrid said, standing up. _That is… unfortunate, but not unexpected. The war with Nazis - Jesus Christ that’s a thing, I never thought I’d say that - bled them pretty dry. But thank you. Hopefully the next result is positive._  
  
That’s when two other people stepped into the center of the hedge maze. One black man, the other a woman of vaguely mediterranean features. Neither of them had Psi Corps pins but they were both wearing black gloves and seemed surprised to see two people there instead of one.  
  
  
  
  
Outside of the hedge maze, Meridina took on the air of admiring the local vegetation, which was not hard. The Zen Garden reminded her of home to a degree. If she could, she would return and spend time meditating here. She had much to meditate over. The stress of her current work was one thing, but the wider situation was another. The Alliance's peace was unlikely to last given the forces at play against it. Conflict against a common aggressor might further many bonds, but the strains of war could yet splinter them. Especially when aided by the existence of factions in the Alliance government.  
  
Meridina did not let these considerations distract her too greatly, which was good. It meant she was ready for the attack when it came.  
  
The attack was not physical. She sensed danger a moment before a presence slammed into the defenses she'd raised around her mind. The attack was powerful, indicating a telepath of her strength, and the way the attack came told her that her foe was capable of techniques she never sought to learn. He - she was sure the attacker was male - had attempted a single knock-out blow, an attack probe to shut her mind down. Now that her defenses had stopped it, he was adjusting. She sensed the slight desperation in him, coupled with a willingness to do anything.  
  
Including rip her mind to pieces.


	5. Chapter 5

Telepathic combat was something that non-telepaths could sometimes have trouble imagining. Terminology could be similar, thoughts of "flanking defenses" or "direct attacks", but in function, it was entirely different. It was a combat of imagery and concept. An idle thought could be a distraction meant to lure enemy attention, or could provide an attacker a way to slip into the mind if the defender was not careful.  
  
Meridina learned mental defense from her mother. Drentiya of the Lumantala was one of the strongest telepaths on Gersal, and given her daughter's choice of occupation in life, she didn't let Meridina go to the Order without ensuring she could use her own considerable mental talents in defense. The imagery Meridina used now reflected her current life. She imagined her mind surrounded by powerful deflector shields guarding against an enemy assault, supported by her own ideology, one that didn’t value meeting force with force, but in turning an attack against an attacker, or at least redirecting it away from her mind. She felt her foe strike at this defense. He was strong, easily as powerful as her mentally, but his attacks were more than she'd ever experienced in her life. Denied the chance at defeating her with his first attack, he attempted a series of direct probes against her defenses. She deflected them away from herself, catching him with at least one that made her opponent's legs give out from under him.  
  
The next series of attacks were more subtle. They were disguised as suggestions and idle thoughts. Curiosity about her attacker and his motives. Meridina recognized what they were and refused to let the thoughts distract her from her protection.  
  
Before her opponent could strike again, Meridina attempted her own mental attack, imagining it as a plasma beam striking out at her attacker. It sloughed along the mental wall of his defenses as if it had been a mild probe. Meridina staggered slightly, but only slightly. She hadn't felt a mental defense that sophisticated since her last training session with her mother. Her attacker was not as powerful as Drentiya, but his defenses were well-crafted. She tried several more attacks, testing them, and found her efforts easily defeated.  
  
A sense of warning filled her and she returned to her defensive focus, and just in time. Her opponent threw forward a series of attacks on her, direct and subtle, trying to seize advantage of her brief switch to offensive maneuvers. Meridina's forewarning allowed her to deflect these attacks as she had before. She sensed the growing frustration in her foe; he had not expected her to be this powerful, and through the Flow of Life, she felt his fear of what might happen if he failed. That fear drove his attack on relentlessly, heedless of his own health, desperate to overwhelm her. Yet he could not. Nor could she get through his defenses, leaving them trapped in a defensive combat.  
  
Until the game changed. Two other minds appeared in the space between Meridina and her unnamed foe, or maybe it was one. It took a moment for Meridina to recognize the structure not of two separate minds, but of a telepathic gestalt. That combined-consciousness attacked, blind-siding Meridina’s attacker with a probe designed not to directly penetrate his defenses, but to wear down the very source of his fear. They attacked him with the knowledge that whatever thing drove him to attack, whatever it was he was afraid of, they would fix it. They would make it better. They clamped down on his defenses with that assurance like the teeth of a vice and slowly started ratcheting it tighter and tighter. He tried to strike out, to attack them in return with abstract concepts. In desperation he tried to confuse Astrid and Elia’s gestalted minds with the idea of the color blue being missing; but it was a simple thing for them to shrug off, constructing a barrier between themselves and the attack-probe out of their surety in an ordered universe.  
  
It didn’t take long for his defenses to crack after that, and for Astrid’s mind to break off, sifting through his memories while Elia stopped. Her mind shifted back inside her own brain and mostly-receded from Meridina’s awareness behind her own habitual blocks.  
  
With the mental siege lifted Meridina was able to turn. Her attacker was nearby, on his knees, a young man of brown coloration a shade darker than that of Cat or Angel's, wearing dark, plain clothing. His hands were covered by gloves. Blood was pouring from his nose and eyes from burst capillaries. Meridina felt a wetness on her face and realized she too was bleeding from the nose. She used the cuff of her uniform to dab it away, relying on the dark material to obscure the bloodstain from casual observation. She watched Astrid approach the man, still intent on him. He seemed young, younger even than Caterina. When she sensed Elia standing beside her she said, "It seems we did not go unnoticed as was hoped."  
  
“We did. They were here to keep track of Astrid and maybe try to snatch Travada if the opportunity presented itself.. This one spotted you, he didn’t spot me.” Elia replied. “The two who tried to take Astrid were loyal to the Director. There’s always someone willing to sell out.” She spat those last two words. “This one… might not be.”  
  
Meridina nodded. Before she said a word, there was the sound of a thud behind them. All three turned to see Jarod now present, dropping a second unconscious figure to the floor. One was a woman of mixed East Asian and African ancestry, the other was a male with tanned light skin and dark hair. Jarod, dressed in civilian clothes - a black leather jacket over a gray shirt and black trousers - took the PPG from his hand and wiped it before returning it, still held by the hand with the cloth, to the holster on the man's hip. "Your friends had a backup team," he said.  
  
Astrid was still scanning the fallen telepath, but Elia replied “How did you know?”  
  
Jarod grinned slightly. "I _may_ have Pretended to be the Psi Corps Director," he admitted. "Not the most perfect I've ever done, but enough to tell me that if I'm the last Clarkist in EarthDome and my power relies on keeping the Psi Corps firmly in line, I'd better make sure that a telepath experienced in commercial espionage isn't branching out."  
  
“Good job.” Elia offered him a very real but small smile. It did reach her eyes.  
  
Meridina nodded in agreement. "Your particular gifts have served us well here, Jarod. I am surprised that Naval Intelligence has not, how is it put? Poached you?"  
  
“That is the term, yes.” Elia clarified “And yeah, I’m surprised at that too, honestly.”  
  
"Consider who runs Naval Intelligence," Jarod reminded them, his tone a little darker. "Or rather, who _really_ runs it."  
  
"The esteemed Admiral Davies," Meridina noted. Technically Naval Intelligence was supposed to be under Vice Admiral Carsters, but Carsters was from the same service as Davies, and had served with him in the pre-Interuniversal era.

"Although this is a bit much for a surveillance team," Jarod said. "Like I said, my Pretend wasn't the best. There's not a lot of material on Director York on the public nets."  
  
“No, there isn’t. Former Earth Force, that’s about it.” Elia confirmed. “Lots of classified missions and the data on his life got put through the laundry a few times. They were also here to snatch Travada if they could.”  
  
Jarod nodded. "Like I said, it wasn't perfect. If I'd known it was a potential snatch team, I would have invited Angel." He rubbed at the knuckles on his left hand, two of which were showing signs of bruising. "You know how she loves to punch things."  
  
Meridina replied with a grin, knowing that Angel would indeed have enjoyed the opportunity to exercise her talents for personal combat.  
  
“Close enough for corporate work.” Astrid replied to him, standing up. “This poor bastard…” she looked down at the unconscious form before her. “Mahmoud here has a twin sister, also in the Corps. The other two leveraged her safety for the help of a P10 for heavy backup. He doesn’t have much information on the organizational structure but the other two will once I get them scanned.”  
  
"They are still in the maze?"  
  
“Yes, hidden deep in a hedge and very comatose.” Elia said “Hence the delay, we felt you under attack and had to do something fast.”  
  
"Thank you again for coming to my aid."  
  
Jarod stepped up to the unconscious Mahmoud and frowned. "Given what I've experienced, York won't let this go unpunished. This kid's going to end up in trouble. His sister as well. York will make examples of them."  
  
“No he won’t” Astrid replied. “Because this never happened. I’ll be giving them all new and entirely uninteresting memories. As well as medication for the headache. Then we’ll get him and his sister somewhere safe.”  
  
Astrid's plan brought a small frown to Meridina's face. To change another being's memories… it was not unheard of among Gersallian telepaths, but usually only to help deal with trauma, by putting traumatic memories into memory vaults to aid in psychological recovery. To change another being's memories without their consent was entirely against the principles for mindwalkers laid out by the _Farisa Genut_ , and it made her feel tremendously uncomfortable.  
  
“This is a cold war, Commander. If they report back, two innocents die, I can’t go home, and those loyal to our people lose a valuable agent. If they don’t go back, two innocents die, I can’t go home… You get the picture. I could try to live among the Dilgar, but… no offense Elia, I’d rather not have to.”  
  
“None taken.” Elia said, with a slight chuff of laughter.  
  
Meridina nodded once, a bit stiffly. "I understand the necessity. Another sign of how things must change in this place, if the Light is to be strengthened."  
  
"You'll probably need to explain a few bruises for their friends." Jarod motioned to the two people he'd subdued.  
  
“Eh. This is _Babylon-5_. I’ll direct them to go to a casino and get fresh.” Astrid said with a grin “No one will know the difference. The telepaths will remember me shopping in the Zócalo and having a nice walk through a hedge maze, completely innocent and boring. Nothing to see. I’m just a good little lapdog commercial telepath.”  
  
"And it will not be difficult for them to justify no attempts made on Minister Travada," said Meridina. "He has been most careful to avoid visiting the station on his own."  
  
“I would be too in his position, and with his particular character failings.” Elia said dryly. “But he has been very careful. No opportunity is sufficient justification.”  
  
Meridina switched to mental communication for what she had to say next. _Have you concluded the business of your meeting? While there are none present at the moment, I suspect we will not go long without witnesses here.  
  
We did. We’ve exchanged contact information. You go, I’ll clean up the mess. I’m an old hand at it by now._ Astrid replied mentally.  
  
 _Understood_. Meridina glanced to Jarod. "I think it is time we returned to the _Aurora_ , Commander. I do not wish to explain to Station Security these events."  
  
"I wouldn't either."  
  
 _Elia, I just want to let you know something before you go. The results of this negotiation are not likely to be good. Earth’s childlike intransigence has seen to that. But we’ll mitigate whatever damage there is and get through it. Keep doing what you’re doing and know that we love and remember you. When it’s possible and if you want to come back, you’re welcome home. Never forget that._ Astrid told Elia very privately, looking directly into her eyes to deliver it. _The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father._  
  
Elia nodded in appreciation. _The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father_ , she replied.

 

 

 

At the window table in Earhart's, Julia listened to Ivanova. "Earth's never been happy with the way your people swooped in and claimed all of the old Darglan systems, including their old colonies. That's always been their major problem. Multiple factions all feel that Earth's been cheated, that you're boxing us in."  
  
"And the telepath issue?"  
  
"That's not so clear-cut," Ivanova said. "The Corps has supporters in the Senate and in business who don't want it undermined. Director York even managed to leverage that into not losing his position after Clark's regime was overthrown. But there are a lot of people taking a long hard look at Psi Corps now. A lot of people who had loved ones imprisoned by Nightwatch and repeatedly scanned by the Corps. We may be closer to seeing Earth finally reform or dissolve the Psi Corps. Preferably before they cause any more trouble."  
  
"So you're saying Earth might relent on the telepath issue?" Julia asked. "If we give them access to former Darglan space."  
  
"To a degree," said Ivanova. "Lyta's campaign is scaring people. The anti-telepath bigots, the Corps supporters, even the reformers. And nobody believes the Free Colony's pleas of innocence."  
  
"How can we convince them? Your side seems pretty locked into the idea that we have to dissolve their colony."  
  
"Luchenko is a pragmatic woman. She'll take a deal if she can show success on the expansion issue, whatever Thomas or Taggart say about emboldening telepaths to run."  
  
Julia nodded. A thought came to her. "What if it was a Neutrality Commission of some kind? Empowered to observe the Free Colony and ensure they're not backing Lyta's forces."  
  
Ivanova considered the idea for a moment before nodding. "That's a good idea. We'll have to pick the head of the Commission."  
  
"So long as its charter doesn't undermine the Colony's autonomy," Julia said. "And if Earth heads the Commission, the Alliance gets a veto on who gets the top spot."  
  
"Fair enough."  
  
"And the Commission comes up for review yearly," Julia continued. "And once Lyta's campaign is over, it will be dissolved." When Ivanova nodded again, Julia continued. "Then that leaves emigration."  
  
"The really tricky part," Ivanova said. "The problem is, EarthGov can't allow public, legal emigration. It'll anger too many interests."  
  
"But without some kind of deal, I don't think we can go for it," Julia said. "Emigration has to be permitted in some way."  
  
"I know, and that's the rub. The more telepaths flee, the fewer telepaths there are for companies to hire. And those companies control some of the Senate votes through the Senators they support."  
  
Julia frowned at that. "Basically, they'll bribe Senators to reject any legalization of telepath emigration."  
  
"Yes." Ivanova took a small drink of her dwindled glass, leaving only a small amount left. "I talked this over with Lantze earlier. While official emigration is out of the question, EarthGov's willing to allow unofficial emigration."  
  
Julia considered that wording. "Unofficial? As in, what? You look the other way?"  
  
"To a degree. Here's my idea." Ivanova put her hands together on the table. "Psi Corps doesn't have the ships to monitor all of the traffic in the Earth Alliance. So they rely on Earthforce and other agencies with ships to assist them. EarthGov can yank that assistance. Not entirely, of course, but orders can be sent forbidding any searches of Alliance-flagged freighters and ships along one of our trading routes to your space. Your people could smuggle out any telepath they wanted through that route and it doesn't matter how much Psi Corps screams, they won't get any help from EarthGov in stopping your ships." There was an earnestness in Ivanova's voice as she said, "Your people could get hundreds, thousands, of telepaths to freedom."  
  
Julia considered the idea. Such a route would become the easiest one in the entire Railroad. It would be as if one of the actual railroad lines between the antebellum North and South was intentionally left unchecked for runaway slaves. An entire trade route along which Earth would leave alone Alliance vessels, eliminating all risk for anyone wanting to smuggle telepaths to the Alliance and freedom.  
  
Eliminating all risk… A terrible thought came to Julia, a very terrible one indeed. "Or it could be used by slavers," Julia pointed out in a quiet voice. "I've read the reports. They're getting bolder. It wouldn't take much for them to fake Alliance registries, maybe even use legitimate registries. They could use the railroad to slip out abductees right along our refugees."  
  
"Psi Corps makes those reports," Ivanova countered. "I don't trust them. It's just the kind of trick they'd pull to scare telepaths into staying in the Corps, into being enslaved to them instead."  
  
"It's not all the Corps," Julia said. "Our people found the evidence on Mars."  
  
"Evidence found by the crew of a Corps sympathizer," Ivanova said hotly.  
  
Julia well remembered the looks she'd gotten on the _Huascar_ at her own statements against the Corps. She knew that Captain Varma - _Zhen'var_ , she corrected herself immediately - was indeed pro-Corps. But she was also the woman who risked her life to stop the genocide at Tira. She was a fellow Captain of the Alliance and she'd yet to give Julia any sign that she didn't deserve the trust that distinction demanded of a fellow Captain. _Admiral Maran gave her the_ Huascar. _Just as he gave us the_ Aurora _, gave_ me _the_ Aurora. _Whatever I think of her views, of her attitude…_ With this in mind, Julia felt a frown come to her lips, and when she spoke, it was with an icy tone. "Captain Zhen'var may sympathize with Psi Corps, and I understand how you resent that, but she is also a Captain of the Alliance. She stood with me and my crew at Tira to resist genocide. She fought at our side over Germania. Unless you can prove she's lying, and I mean really prove it, I don't want to hear another word against her."  
  
For a moment Julia wondered how Ivanova would react. She thought she saw a flare of anger in Ivanova's eyes. A little movement of her lips, as if Ivanova was preparing to fire a retort. The _Titans_ ' Captain's fist visibly clenched on the table. After several seconds, it relaxed. "I understand," Ivanova said finally. "My apologies. I was out of line."  
  
Julia considered those words and decided to accept them with a nod. "Apology accepted, Captain."  
  
"Alright." Ivanova took her last drink from her glass. "Back to business. I understand your concerns. But this is the best we can do. Earth will not go for a legitimate channel. We simply won't."  
  
"What about special visas, on starliner flights straight to non-Earth territory?" Julia asked. "Maybe even let us issue the visas."  
  
"An Alliance-issue visa isn't going to stop the Corps. And to allow Earth telepaths to get them, well, it would violate the spirit of the law at least."  
  
"But maybe not the wording," said Julia. "So why not that instead? Let them come to us for entry visas. The Alliance consulates and Embassy verify they're telepaths and approve special visas on those grounds. Then we put them on starliners to Alliance space, through, say, Gamma Orionis and Reynar. Earth refuses to help Psi Corps board them."  
  
"I can ask," Ivanova said. "I'm not sure they'll go for it."  
  
"Sell it, however you can."  
  
"And if I can't?"  
  
Julia considered that question for several moments. "Well, in the end, I suppose it's not my call. We'll just have to see." The tone of her voice made it clear she still had doubts.  
  
At that moment a waiter came up, bearing their dinners and a pair of new Jovian sunspots to consume. The two women turned their attention from the weighty matters they'd been discussing to their meals and the quality thereof.

 

 

 

Julia had little time to digest her meal when she returned to the _Aurora_. Secretary Onaran wished her presence immediately in Conference Room 2. When she arrived, she found Jarod, Meridina, Elia, and Travada present as well. "Captain, thank you for coming," said Onaran. "I am afraid we have much to discuss."  
  
"It's alright," she said. "Captain Ivanova and I had something of a business dinner. I've got something to discuss too." She took her seat.  
  
“...” Elia’s silence was pointed. Her gloves creaked, they were soft supple leather they were not supposed to creak, but they did. Travada looked over at her and looked like he might be getting ready to duck for cover, but he held his peace and his position. When Elia did speak, it was flat and expressionless.  
  
“In the name of full disclosure, Meridina, Astrid, and myself were attacked by a trio of telepaths. Two loyal to the Directors office, one coerced into collaboration.” Her use of the term collaboration was deliberate. “We dealt with them, and their memories have been modified. The Corps will ensure that the one who was forced is safe and his sister secured from harm.”  
  
"My thanks to you for performing your duty in such a trying circumstance," Onaran said to her.  
  
"Commander Jarod assisted by knocking out their backup unit of non-telepaths," Meridina noted.  
  
Onaran looked to Jarod, who nodded. "I started thinking like the Director of Psi Corps," he said. "It made certain things sound likely, so I checked up myself." He looked at Travada. "Among other things, your record made it likely York would send a team to snatch you, if it was feasible. Even if it disrupted our negotiations, well, the man is a Clarkist. I doubt he would lose any sleep for ruining the talks."  
  
“There’s a reason I never left the ship except under heavy guard…” Travada noted. “That was always a risk.”  
  
“That having been said, our communication channel has been established. The Corps will endeavor to get agents to _Babylon-5_ for information exchange, and set up secure communications channels.” Elia confirmed, her voice still completely free of inflection, staring at Julia across the table without any expression. Waiting.  
  
"Excellent news. Well done, Commander, and thank you for your efforts." Onaran looked next to Julia. "Captain?"  
  
Julia noted Elia's quiet look before turning her head to face Onaran. "Captain Ivanova and I discussed our current diplomatic impasse. We considered a solution that she thinks Luchenko might be able to get through the Senate." At a nod from Onaran she continued. "We would give them some access rights to Darglan space and they'll accept a Neutrality Commission that would monitor the Free Colony."  
  
Travada gave her a look tinged with a hint of suspicion. "What is the extent of this proposed commission?"  
  
"Observation only, and reporting on violations," Julia replied. "Earth would pick the Commission Chair and we would have a veto on it. The Commission would come up for review and renewal annually and will be dissolved when Lyta's campaign has ended."  
  
"That could be years," Travada pointed out.  
  
"True. And I know it might be onerous. But it won't impinge on your rights, Minister Travada. The Commission can observe and report only. Violations will be left up for the Free Colony to handle with input from our governments. Input, not dictation."  
  
Travada took in a breath and thought a moment before nodding to Onaran. "It is the best that can be hoped for, I suppose. The Colony will accept."  
  
Elia waited for the other shoe to drop. There was always a second shoe. The commission she could accept and she expected the Corps could accept it too. The reality was the Colony was a done deal, it would continue to exist and the Psi Corps knew it. All they could do was mitigate the damage and get through it, as Astrid had said.  
  
Onaran calculated the issue for a moment. "I am not certain it will pass Senate scrutiny," he finally said. "Access to Darglan space for Earth, given its recent history, is a delicate matter. The emigration issue is key. If we can demonstrate a humanitarian goal…"  
  
"That was what we debated the most," Julia said. "We each submitted a proposal."  
  
And there it was. The shoe, not merely dropped, but thrown like in a heated Iraqi press conference. Elia moved her hands under the table so no one could see them clench, but no one would miss her entire body tense.  
  
"Go on."  
  
Julia couldn't help but notice Elia's body language. Meridina evinced clear concern for her, as did Jarod. Nevertheless, she answered Onaran. "Mine was that the Alliance will start issuing entry visas directly in Earthspace," Julia said. "Telepaths would be given special visas and sent on Alliance starliners servicing one of the major routes. I suggested the route that goes through Gamma Orionis to Reynar. Earth would leave our liners alone, even if the Corps requested assistance in intercepting and searching them."  
  
"Promising," said Onaran.  
  
"Ivanova's not certain EarthGov will accept it. That they'll judge it too close to official sanction for telepath emigration," Julia explained. "Her suggestion is to turn one of the major trade lanes between Earth and the Alliance into a hands-off zone, much as in my proposal. That along that lane, Earthforce and Earth's other agencies will refuse all requests from Psi Corps to intercept and search Alliance-registered vessels for telepaths. It would turn said lane into the safest line in the Underground Railroad."  
  
Elia had enough. She was done. There were limits to what she could tolerate and she found them. “Permission to speak freely. It may be unpleasant.” she requested in clipped tones.  
  
"You may, Commander," said Onaran, while the others looked to her, waiting for her words..  
  
“Like hell it will. That route will be leaked to slavers, what’s worse you bloody well know it. It won’t be safe, it will be a god damn gauntlet your ships will have to run. The Psi Corps is already stretched thin trying to deal with slavers, and now all they have to do is get their grubby mits on Alliance-registered ships, and you can bet that isn’t all. Earthforce will use this as an excuse to not answer the Corps’ call on other vessels as well. If the Alliance accepts these terms, you, personally, will be consigning telepaths to slavery and death. The Earth Alliance knows this, they’re counting on the fact that the Psi Corps _will not_ accept that. They’ll use Lyta’s attacks as leverage against the Corps and eventually use it’s ‘inability to deal with a security threat’ to dissolve the Corps. You’ve been briefed on what that would entail.” Through the entire tirade, she never raised her voice, it simply came through her lips as hard as steel, sharp in rebuke like a razor blade.  
  
No one present had yet seen Elia express that much heat and anger. Julia listened to the tirade, directed at her more than Onaran, and kept a neutral look on her face. Inwardly she felt a seething irritation, a natural one for being the target of Elia's anger, especially when Elia was stating nothing that Julia herself hadn't pointed out to Ivanova.  
  
But before she could even conceive of an angry retort, she felt Meridina's voice in her mind. _It feels unfair, but she is terrified for family. Just as you are_.  
  
Julia briefly wetted her lips in thought, recognizing what Meridina was saying. She was afraid for Robert, true. But this wasn't about him. She should be more considerate. She should be more understanding.  
  
 _Not about him? They almost took him!_ raged a part of her mind. _Bester almost stole him away!_  
  
Julia pushed the thought away. She had other matters to dwell on, even if it still popped up in her mind, still haunted her with the possibility of what might have been, if Bester had successfully taken Robert away… She felt that struggle within her and finally let out a breath. "I said the same thing to Captain Ivanova, Commander," she finally said.  
  
“I know, and yet it is something you’re willing to accept and bring before the Alliance government for consideration, all because you can’t get over what one person tried to do. For that you would condemn millions.” Came Elia’s retort in that same tempered rage. “The Psi Corps is two things. The government agency under the dictatorial control of York; and a people with their own customs, language, art, literature, and cultural beliefs. A nation. _My family_. Unilaterally dissolving the one inflicts diaspora on the other. If you want to free telepaths, you should be helping the Psi Corps do so on its own terms. Instead you’re discounting my views on the subject because of the gloves on my hands. Just like EarthGov does when they bring telepaths to a negotiation and don’t let them speak. Imposing your will like a colonizing power.”  
  
Julia let Elia make her point. She thought about how the last few days had gone and reviewed her conduct. "Alright, I'll admit. I didn't come to you," Julia said. "I thought you were intentionally staying away from me and my officers, so I did the same. I didn't want to impose."  
  
“I’ll admit, I’m not the most warm and open person in the multiverse, but that’s no excuse. You were looking at my gloves and ignoring me when I was in the room.” was Elia’s retort.  
  
And it wasn't. "You're right." Julia nodded once at her, conceding the point. "After the meeting on the _Huascar_ , well, if we're being candid, I didn't think you were entirely objective on the matter. The Corps is your family, and you love them, and you want them to be in the right even if they might not be. You're telling us how the Corps as an organization can be different from the Corps as a culture, a society. Fine. You should be at the table. I think it's wrong that you're not, that Ms. Bergsen is only there to keep Meridina and Travada out of their brains. But that doesn't mean the Corps gets a free pass on the people who've been harmed."  
  
Elia forced herself to remember that Julia was only human, and not entirely objective either. She was also a mundane and had absolutely no idea what she was stepping into. “Of course I’m not objective, but it’s not due to wishful thinking, it’s because I’ve lived this my whole life. You’re forming opinions in _abject ignorance_ and then projecting your motives onto me. I’ll give you a history lesson if you want. It doesn’t need to be now.”  
  
"Alright. We can do that. You haven't been to the Lookout, have you?"  
  
“I have not, no.”  
  
"Then I'll meet you there," Julia offered. "And we'll finish this discussion."  
  
“Good. Thank you. I do apologize for my outburst as well. I could have been more… polite.”  
  
Julia considered waving it off, but dismissed that. It would sound patronizing, she feared. "Thank you. And I apologize as well that I didn't come to you. Whatever I felt about your objectivity, I should have given you a chance to speak to me about things." She looked to Onaran. "My apologies to you as well, Mister Secretary, for hijacking our meeting."  
  
"Apologies accepted," the Secretary said. It was clear he was not entirely pleased, but he was diplomat enough to say nothing further. He glanced to Travada. "Minister, what is your opinion on the rival concepts of Captain Andreys and Captain Ivanova?"  
  
“Speaking personally, Commander Saumarez is correct that Earth will use either proposal as leverage against the Psi Corps. We differ in that my government and myself believe that there isn’t a viable future for telepaths in Earth Alliance space, irrespective of what the efforts of the Corps are. It’s best to rip the bandaid off. I don’t think the Earth Alliance will accept the visa proposal, however.”  
  
"Captain Ivanova said the same thing. But as Commander Saumarez said, her proposal is too easy for Earth to abuse."  
  
"It is a solid argument." Onaran rubbed at one of his long, pointed ears, a frustrated tic Julia had noticed only a few times before. "I will inform President Morgan and the Cabinet on the idea. We will see what Minister Lantze and his team say about it in the morning."  
  
"If they will only go for Ivanova's proposal, why don't we just drop it?" Jarod asked. "Just accept only the Neutrality Commission in exchange for, say, observed access to Darglan space?"  
  
"Access will mandate observation anyway as a matter of course. We are not giving up control, simply sharing access," Onaran observed. "And as for that… it is remotely feasible, but unlikely. Earth's reputation in the field of xenoarchaeology is unsavory, and many Senators know that, or will be happily informed by their peers on the matter. And allowing Earth a Neutrality Commission to oversee a free affiliate will not seem a compromise so much as a lesser concession. Without some form of concession from Earth on a matter judged sufficiently important, it is unlikely any agreement will pass the Senate."  
  
"Opening a door for slavers is hardly something I'd want to be responsible for," Julia murmured.  
  
"Indeed not. But neither do we need a war with Earth, particularly with the risk that Earth might successfully bring the InterStellar Alliance against us," noted Onaran. He stood. "That is all for today. I must meet with the Cabinet shortly. I will ensure your efforts, Commander Saumarez, are recognized."  
  
“Thank you, Mr. Secretary.” she breathed in deep, and exhaled slowly, shaking her head in dismay. _I don’t know how the Corps going to clean this up_ , she thought privately.

 

 

 

Julia took the time to change into civilian clothes, a teal blouse and blue jeans. On her way to the Lookout she occasionally noticed bewildered looks from the crew she passed. It was rare that she went out of her quarters wearing civilian clothes. She'd always felt it looked better on her to be in uniform unless she was exercising. But given her purpose, looking more casual seemed the best.  
  
She arrived in the Lookout via its port door. It was currently 2200 hours ship time, so Gamma Shift was just about to assume their first watch, Alpha Shift was heading to bed, and Beta Shift would be getting off duty for the rest of the day. The Lookout was thus full of Gamma Shift personnel having breakfast and those Beta Shift personnel off-watch grabbing dinner. There were open stools at the bar, however, which is where Elia was seated.  
  
Elia was also in civilian clothes, but there wasn’t much difference between a uniform and civilian attire for her. The biggest difference was the lack of rank insignia. She had a cup of strong tea in front of her when Julia approached. "Enjoying yourself?" Julia asked amiably, taking a seat.  
  
“That would depend on your definitions. I find the tea to be calming, at least.” Elia replied. “We’ll see how effective it is when the negotiations are done.”  
  
At that point Albert stepped up. The young German man asked, "What would you like, Captain?"  
  
"Just a drink. Nothing that will keep me awake," Julia replied.  
  
"Of course." Albert went off to get such a drink, something with no caffeine.  
  
"I thought about what you said," Julia remarked. "About just gathering the fleet and overrunning the Earth Alliance. Imposing telepath civil rights on them at the barrel of a gun." She shifted slightly on the stool to better balance herself. "There's a certain appeal to it, I admit. Just deal with the problem directly and forcefully."  
  
“It’s going to have to happen one way or another, eventually. Might as well be now when they’re in a peace posture and still rebuilding. Weak. Giving them access to Darglan technology and time to rebuild is a mistake.”  
  
"I suppose if we hadn't taken so many losses in the final push on Germania…" Julia let out a sigh. "I suppose it's too much to ask for Earth to settle its own problems internally, without causing another conflict. I've seen enough dying since I came out into space." Albert came up and offered her a drink, a glass of flavored water. Julia took a drink of it.  
  
“It’s always too much to ask.” Elia replied bitterly. “Especially when the victims aren’t even allowed to ask. I promised you a history lesson, didn’t I?” Elia sipped her tea.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
“Very well, this should prove enlightening for you. While Lee Crawford was the first director of the Psi Corps, he was assassinated by factors unknown early in his term, the underground was blamed but given who he was it may well have been the Corps itself. His long-time aid Kevin Vacit took over the reigns after that. He… might have been one of us. Maybe. We’re not sure. If he was he was higher than a P12 and tested negative for telepathy. What we do know is that within the bounds of the Law, he let us self-govern. Develop a culture of our own, select for ourselves who went into what position. He wasn’t perfect, not by any stretch; he was hesitant to crush the original rogue underground for a couple decades. We don’t know why. Overall though, his tenure as a director was good.” Elia took a sip of her tea. She wasn’t anywhere near old enough to remember those years, but she’d grown up raised by people who were.  
  
“There was a Psi Cop in those days named Sandoval Bey. He was a Later, came into the Corps when he was sixteen and went native. He out Psi Corps’d the Psi Corps. He taught generations within Metapol to anchor themselves in their communities, to love even the rogues they hunted. Sometimes they died but they didn’t break or become brutes. They were able to bring in a lot of blips willingly so they could avoid the camps.” Elia could talk about the camps, at length, but that would be a massive tangent she didn’t want to indulge in.  
  
“After Vacit _disappeared_ in his nineties, Director Johnson took over and things… changed. Johnson had Dr. Bey killed for treason ten years later, or forced him to suicide to protect those he cared about. We still don’t know which.” Elia paused to permit Julia to ask any questions she might have.  
  
"I suppose it would depend on what Johnson's goals were," Julia mused idly.  
  
“His goal was the complete subjugation of telepaths. Over the course of several decades, he _removed_ those telepaths who were in their positions because we wanted them there, and put in place his hand-picked creatures.”  
  
"Even though they were telepaths themselves."  
  
“Yes. You can always find people like that. People willing to sell out for personal gain, sociopaths. True believers too. The LGBTQ community has long known of those; men and women who hate themselves and work against their own interests due to religious or political conviction. Those people instituted a lot of black projects, as well as a reign of terror. The Psi Corps has been waging a cold war against itself ever since, hidden from most of its own people. The average commercial telepath doesn’t know, because if some of what’s happened came out in public the outrage would be so great that a revolution would self-trigger before the Corps is ready to win it. What do you think that ship we encountered near Mars was for?”

Julia finished swallowing another gulp as Elia finished speaking. "And which side is Mr. Bester on? He had a ship too, one I'm sure EarthGov doesn't know about."  
  
“Bester is… interesting. I don’t know him personally Captain but he’s a bit legendary. He’s loyal to the Corps, the real one, but…” she trailed off, trying to figure out a way to word things. “His life-experiences have made him brutal. Scuttlebut is, Bey was the closest thing he had to a father and when he died Bester quietly lost it and never _really_ trusted anyone again. Most of the people working toward the liberation of the Psi Corps are more like Astrid. Alfred Bester is a problem they’ll deal with once the threat to our existence is done. Right now, well… he’s too good at what he does to put out to pasture, and the Corps still holds out hope for him as a person.”  
  
"I suppose I can understand that." Julia was being honest when she said it, even with the part of her smoldering over what happened. _Jarod's right. I can't let it affect my judgement._ "I can understand hoping that wayward family works out for the best." She sipped at the water after speaking.  
  
“Yeah. When the Corps has a choice, Captain, it rejects what people have done, but will never reject _them_. The Corps will punish, but there is always forgiveness. Always. Even if it has to be post-mortem to protect everyone else.”  
  
Julia nodded silently. "Forgiveness is good. It's something I was raised to believe in. It's never easy though. Having seen the anger in her, I don't know if Ivanova will ever forgive the Corps for her mother, or for her friend." _More than friend, I think_ , Julia thought. "Honestly, I'm not sure I've seen that much anger since I had Hawk in the brig."  
  
“Likely not. But her anger is also misplaced. I’ve known telepaths in Education division responsible for administering the sleepers. I don’t know of any who don’t find marginally legal ways to _beg_ the people on them to get off. From what they tell me, people stay on sleepers because they’re afraid. They’re afraid of their lives changing, they’re afraid of losing everything, afraid of losing their privilege. I can’t speak for what happened to her friend.” Elia shrugged.  
  
Julia nodded at that. "I admit that if I were in their place, I might prefer the sleepers too. If just to keep some degree of independence. And I'd jump at the chance to leave the Earth Alliance behind regardless." She looked to Elia. "I mean, I understand you see the Corps as family, but it's still a ghetto for telepaths. It's a cage and a trap. I can't see myself being happy living there. It might just be from how I grew up, the kind of society I was in, but I see those gloves you're wearing, and it looks like a symbol of restraint to me. Imprisonment. I'd want them off as soon as I could get them off."  
  
“The symbols of oppression can be taken from the oppressors and used for something else Captain. They were meant as a symbol of isolation and restraint. A cage, just as you say. Now… “ She waggled her fingers. “Solidarity and adulthood. As well as an entirely different kind of restraint. One day, we’ll take them off. Metaphorically speaking. The physical gloves will likely stay.”  
  
"The day you're free," Julia noted, holding her glass and the remaining contents a couple of centimeters off the bar. Elia did the same. "To freedom then?"  
  
“On our terms.” Elia agreed.  
  
Julia nodded in agreement as they clinked glasses.

 

 

 

When the second day of talks began, there was a marked change in the atmosphere. Lantze opened the door by proposing that the Alliance assemble a Neutrality Commission with Earth to enforce the Free Colony's separation from Lyta. He even offered the Alliance a veto on the Earth-appointed Commission Chair. Onaran graciously accepted, without a murmur of dissent from Taggart or Thomas. Deng Jiang seemed fairly pleased and exchanged a friendly look with Ivanova. _So she's not alone in this_ , thought Julia.  
  
Onaran made the next move by proposing more open terms for Earth in terms of Darglan space, including promoting the construction of jump gates that would let Earth expand into nearby neutral space if it so desired. It was not unfettered access, but it would give Earth a part in studying remaining ruins of the Darglan civilization and the possibility of finding Darglan technology in their own right.  
  
"As for other matters…" Lantze was clearly enjoying the sudden breakthrough. "EarthGov is aware that the Alliance is interested in making it easier for Earth citizens to travel to the Alliance. A visa program of some kind?"  
  
Onaran smiled amiably. "Yes," he said. "The Alliance would happily provide visas to Earth citizens through our consulates and aid with the relevant security checks. With the aid of Earth authorities, travel between our worlds can be made vastly easier."  
  
"It is an idea worth considering, I believe," Lantze remarked. "I will gladly ask EarthGov…"  
  
At that moment that Mr. Thomas leaned in and whispered something into Lantze's ear. Lantze's smile froze in place. "Pardon me, gentlemen and ladies," he said. "I must consult with Mr. Thomas."  
  
Julia forced herself not to sigh as she joined the others of Onaran's team in filing out, leaving the Earth team to discuss matters. Moments later, Astrid emerged, having also been asked to leave them, and looking fairly irritated about it. She gave Julia a searching look, then the same to Meridina.  
  
 _They're not going for it_ , Julia thought. _Dammit…_  
  
When Ivanova asked them to return they filed back in. Lantze seemed almost apologetic and Deng Jiang was looking at nothing. Taggart, on the other hand, seemed more pleased. "I am afraid that on the question of visas, we must decline," Lantze said. "EarthGov fears that such an Alliance program might be abused by unregistered telepaths. As I have stated, Earth cannot accept telepath emigration. We are prepared to assist the Alliance in smoothing its recent difficulties with onerous inspections by Earth security agencies. We can instruct our inspectors to show more trust toward Alliance vessels, particularly those on main routes where our port security will already be providing sufficient guarantees against contraband."  
  
Onaran kept what Julia saw as a poker face. She forced herself to do the same. They were going to insist on Ivanova's offer. "We will have to discuss particulars," Onaran remarked. "Clarify terms."  
  
"Of course," Lantze reacted. "We are prepared, Mister Secretary, to do just that."

 

 

 

During a break in the negotiations, Julia decided to check out the Zócalo. She found herself at a place called the Eclipse Cafe, where she ordered a small lunch and a non-alcoholic drink. She was partway through when she noticed the shadow move nearby. Ivanova sat beside her. "I tried," she said. "Thomas and Taggart shot it down."  
  
"Why did they even send Lantze if he has no authority?" Julia asked.  
  
"Appearances' sake. Luchenko gave him his post because he promotes peace and rejected Clark's declaration of martial law. Which was about the only time he's shown the merest hint of a spine."  
  
"I'm not sure we can take this agreement in the end," Julia said. "There's too much potential for it to be used by the wrong people. These slavers are aggressive enough they might even attack our ships in the hopes of catching telepaths."  
  
"It's the best you're going to get," Ivanova said.  
  
Julia went to reply, but she noticed Ivanova was watching a nearby vidscreen. She did too. ISN was on, airing a segment labeled "Telepath Terrorist Crisis". It flipped away from images of a bombing to a scene of crystal structures Julia recognized as Minbar. Since she couldn't easily hear it from where she was, Julia activated her omnitool and used it to load the feed, replicating the larger image on the hardlight viewer her omnitool projected. It showed footage of a press conference with a handful of ISA race representatives led by a Drazi. " _...stated support for Earth in the ongoing telepath crisis_ ," stated the ISN reporter.  
  
" _The Drazi people have been allied to Earth for many cycles_ ," stated the Drazi representative on the screen. " _We will not leave them alone to face a greater power. We believe the United Systems should carefully reconsider its behavior toward Earth in these talks_ …"  
  
"There we go," Ivanova sighed. "Now they're being opportunists. They fought on our side in the Shadow War, and I'll always give them that. But the Drazi have a way of disappointing you again and again."  
  
"... _Alliance should remember that Darglan space is in this galaxy, and the species of this galaxy have the strongest claim_ …"  
  
Julia switched the feed off, disgusted and resigned. She paid for her meal, unfinished, and left for the lift to return to the others.

 

 

 

Everyone was back at the table. "I have received news from EarthDome," said Lantze. "The Cabinet is ready to accept the general terms we have laid out."  
  
Onaran nodded. Beside him, Travada sat stone-faced. "President Morgan has informed me that our Cabinet has also concurred. We believe these terms have the best chance of passing ratification."  
  
"Then let us begin to discuss the particulars…"

 

 

 

Word reached the _Aurora_ quickly. When Julia and Meridina returned from the talks, they were met in the Transporter Station by Jarod. "We all saw the ISN broadcast," he said.  
  
"About the Drazi?"  
  
"Not just that." Jarod used his omnitool to cue ISN. A Caucasian anchorwoman was seated at the desk. "... _sources say that after difficult negotiations, Foreign Minister Frederick Lantze and Allied Systems Foreign Secretary Lentiro Onaran have achieved a breakthrough in the talks on_ Babylon-5. _EarthDome officials refuse to comment on any terms, but one source states the arrangement will see to Earth's security concerns and strengthen trade relations between Earth and the Allied Systems. We have yet to receive any comment from authorities in the Allied Systems…_ " Jarod shut down the feed. "I knew you'd have to agree as soon as the reports from Tuzanor came."  
  
"It was either that or let the crisis escalate, I suppose," Julia said, frowning.  
  
"There are ways to deal with this," Jarod said. "We could shut down the Railroad until we can better secure it, for one thing."  
  
"I have forwarded what I am permitted to my mother," Meridina said. "They may choose such an avenue. But when it becomes clear Earth is ignoring ships in this new zone, the slavers will take advantage. Shutting down our lines will not stop it. It will simply eliminate an actual route to safety."  
  
Julia felt tears of frustration well in her eyes. "I should have ignored it," she said. "I shouldn't have passed on Ivanova's idea."  
  
"You were performing your duty," Meridina pointed out.  
  
"If you hadn't, they would have found another way to introduce it," Jarod added.  
  
"Maybe. But then it wouldn't have been _me_." With fists clenched and her mind wondering how many people would be hurt by what just happened, Julia left the Transporter Station in a hurry, determined to not let her crew see her doubt.

 

 

 

Astrid didn’t have proper quarters on the _EAS Titans_. She’d come separately and as a result was staying in some of _Babylon-5_ ’s guest quarters in Red Sector. The little studio apartment wasn’t a squalid hole in the wall like the ones in Brown Sector, but they weren’t exactly luxurious either. Single room, no partition except for a bathroom, a kitchen barely worth the word. But the bed was reasonably comfortable and the room was clean, no cockroaches or rodent infestations. Also no bugs, she’d made sure of that. Astrid was lying in bed, curled up with a brand new copy of _The Demolished Man_ , the author of which a certain Psi Cop was named after.  
  
“Fucking hell, Lee Crawford really loved his science fiction, didn’t he?” She muttered to herself, thinking about the parallels between the Psi Corps and the Esper Guild, when the door chimed. Instantly, a PPG she kept under her pillow came out, and she was looking at the camera display that showed her who was on the other side. Astrid saw a familiar face. A white guy in his late thirties with brown hair and blue eyes, dressed in a nice button up shirt and sweater vest; the badge and gloves of the Psi Corps openly displayed. Astrid opened the door and yanked him inside.  
  
“Rob, what the hell are you doing here? Were you followed?” Astrid practically hissed. Robert Irvine was only a P7, he was somewhat more vulnerable than she was and didn’t normally do fieldcraft. Most of his actual work was a lot more passive.  
  
“Officially, I’m here for a mining contract negotiation and no, I wasn’t… do they have people watching you?” Rob asked in his Australian accent.  
  
“They _did_ , but not anymore. What are you unofficially here for?”  
  
“To see how you’re doing, and to pass on some news…” he trailed off, and Astrid didn’t need to be a telepath to know something was seriously bothering him.  
  
“Well, things are going… about as can be expected. It’s going to be a process to get the Alliance on our side, but it’s going, their agreement with the Earth Alliance notwithstanding I think we can find a way to mitigate it. We’re establishing a line of communication through this station. Clandestine of course.”  
  
“Good to hear, but…” Rob trailed off trying to think of how to say what he was going to say, and Astrid immediately got very worried. “You might want to sit down.” Astrid felt like her heart was in her throat trying to escape. Whatever it was she could feel Rob’s anxiety and knew it was bad. She walked the few steps and sat down on her bed. He sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.  
  
“What is it?” she asked, probing gently at his blocks, but he kept her out.  
  
“There was an attack on Tau Atrea. The _PCS Sinbad_ is on site but they haven’t reported back any news yet.”  
  
 _No no no…_ Astrid sobbed, shaking in place.

 

 

**Tag**

 

The next morning Julia awoke to a new set of orders. While the two sides were still deliberating specific details, Earthforce and the Stellar Navy had agreed to mutually withdraw the _Titans_ and _Aurora_ from _Babylon-5_. She was being ordered to bring the _Aurora_ back to She'teyal to return Commander Saumarez to her ship and relieve the _Huascar_ from the She'teyal observation mission. The _Aurora_ would be spending a week overseeing the ongoing archaeological excavations of the dead Darglan homeworld.  
  
Julia immediately relayed the orders to prepare for departure and returned to her morning routine. By the time she got on the bridge, Meridina had already relieved Lieutenant Takawira. "We are still recovering the last of our crew that were on liberty," Meridina explained.  
  
"Let me know when we're done. We're due to depart by 1000 hours," Julia said.  
  
"Of course."  
  
With that she entered her ready office and began looking over the Gamma Shift logs and the morning's fleet dispatches. She noted that the Earth Confederacy heavy cruiser _Shiloh,_ on assignment to overall Alliance command, had been called from its patrol route to attend to a distress call from the Tau Atrea system, on the edge of the Alliance's space and not far from Earthspace either.  
  
The omnitool on her left arm activated, displaying a blue light over the back of her hand. Since she was in her ready office, she reached to a key on her desk. "Andreys here."  
  
" _Captain, incoming signal from the_ Titans," Meridina informed her.  
  
"I'm ready in here for it."  
  
After several moments the screen shifted to show Ivanova. " _Good morning, Captain. It_ is _morning for you, right?_ "  
  
"It is," Julia replied. "I take it you're waiting to depart too?"  
  
" _We're getting our last shuttle full of crew back from the station right now_ ," she replied.  
  
"What, no transporters yet?"  
  
" _Most Earthforce crew don't quite trust them yet_ ," Ivanova explained. " _I can't say I blame them. I don't like the idea of having my atoms scrambled either. Or being shot through a subspace tunnel._ "  
  
"You get used to it," Julia replied.  
  
Ivanova nodded. She seemed thoughtful for a moment. " _I'm sorry things didn't work out as well as they could have. Your proposal would have been the better one. But we couldn't get Earth Central to agree._ "  
  
"I understand," Julia said.  
  
" _This approach will help, though. It'll give telepaths a safe route out of Earth space_ ," Ivanova insisted. " _We can deal with the expanded slaver problem. If I catch any of them, I intend to walk them out of the nearest airlock myself_."  
  
It was a grisly fate to consider, but given what happened to slaves usually, Julia found that her qualms on such an outcome were very anemic. "So Earth is aware of the problem?"  
  
" _More or less_." Ivanova frowned. " _It's not being spoken outright, but the evidence is there for anyone looking. I'll be sharing it with other captains in Earthforce. Even if Earth Central is overlooking the problem, we won't be._ "  
  
Julia nodded. "Thank you. And on that note, good hunting."  
  
" _Good luck, Captain. It was a pleasure meeting you. Ivanova out_."  
  
Once Ivanova's image disappeared from the screen, Julia turned in her chair and looked out at B5. By the standards of space, the little spinning canister with a quarter of a million beings aboard was little more than a needle in an empty field. But there was no denying the place's history. It was an interesting contradiction: the same Earth that was bedeviled by bigotry, that had even fallen into the sway of a fascist dictator, had built a space station dedicated to the idea of peaceful co-existence between different species and cultures. It existed for the same purpose that the Alliance did, had indeed provided the formation of a similar institution.  
  
And yet, these events proved they all had so much further to go.  
  
Her comm went off again. Standing away from her desk, Julia tapped the blue light over the back of her hand. "Andreys here," she said.  
  
" _All crewmembers have returned from B5_ ," noted Meridina. " _We are prepared to depart_."  
  
"Set a course through neutral space for She'teyal, standard warp," Julia replied. "I'll be out shortly."  
  
From where she was standing, Julia watched as the station slid away to the left, briefly letting her see the _Titans_ as she burned for the jump gate before that view also disappeared. There was a sense of acceleration and a flicker of distorted light and energy before the familiar streaks of warp travel appeared in her window. After several moments of considering the view, Julia departed her ready office for the bridge.

 

 

 

A day out from B5, the _Aurora_ was in neutral space near the Minbari frontier, approaching Alliance-held territory. Julia was quietly observing everything from her command chair. Meridina sat beside her, observing the quiet look on Julia's face. "You are still troubled by the outcome of the negotiations?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I understand. But that is not all, is it? You are worried about Robert."  
  
"It's something I'll have to get used to," said Julia. "This won't be the first time he…"  
  
"Speak of the devil," Jarod remarked, interrupting her. "Or not, in this case. We have an incoming hail using the identity codes of Robert's new ship."  
  
"Put him on," Julia insisted.  
  
The holo-viewer changed to show Robert in the cockpit of his infiltrator. Lucy and Talara were visible behind him. All three looked fatigued. "Aurora _, it's good to see you._ "  
  
Julia didn't hide her relief. "Not as good as it is for us to see you."  
  
Robert nodded. " _We're not far from you. Can you briefly divert to rendezvous? We need assistance. Please have Leo standing by with some of his medical people._ "  
  
Julia wondered what he meant by that given they didn't seem hurt. "Change course, Mister Locarno," she said. "We'll meet them as soon as possible."  
  
"Yes ma'am," Locarno said.

 

 

 

It was the start of Beta Shift's first watch when the rendezvous was made. Julia journeyed to the bottom of her ship and the secondary shuttle bay built into Deck 34's stern. Meridina met her there as Robert's new infiltrator was entering the atmospheric forcefield. It was a winged ship of Dorei construction, with the cockpit at the front of the main body shaped like bird's head. The hull was colored a dark gray and had no discerning markings.  
  
The ship turned in place and landed, now presenting its rear side to them. Four engine ports lined up at the back of the ship's rear body, with a cargo bay door below the port-side engines. The bay door opened, turning into a ramp.  
  
Inside of the cargo bay - which was more of an armory in this case - were a dozen people wearing basic replicated clothing. Half were children or adolescents. Julia stared in astonishment at them while they did the same, some anxiety and fear clear in their expressions even as Leo and some of his people stepped up.  
  
 _Captain… they are telepaths. Every single one of them_ , Meridina said to her mentally.  
  
Robert approached and Julia couldn't stop herself from hugging him. He winced. "Woh, watch the ribs," he pleaded.  
  
As soon as the hug finished Julia asked, "What is this? What happened to a simple recon mission?"  
  
Robert smiled at her. His tone was sheepish as he said, "Well, that's a long story…"

 


End file.
